Chapter 24 - Three CallsThe night before the wedding, Clare could not sleep.
At 11:48 p.m., she called Nathaniel.
He answered immediately.
“Hello?”
She smiled.
“Nothing. Just checking.”
Nathaniel laughed softly.
At 12:16 a.m., she called again.
“Clare?”
“Still checking.”
“I’m still here.”
At 12:41 a.m., she called a third time.
Nathaniel answered before the first ring finished.
Clare said nothing.
Neither did he.
Then she whispered:
“I love you.”
Nathaniel closed his eyes.
“I love you too.”
Clare’s voice trembled.
“Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow.”
“And the day after?”
“I'll wait for you to ask.”
She smiled through tears.
“Good answer.”
After they hung up, Clare stared at the phone.
Three calls.
Once, they had ended her marriage.
Tonight, they began another.
Not because Nathaniel answered quickly.
But because Clare finally knew that if someday he didn't, she would still remain whole.
She no longer needed his love to survive.
May you like
She chose it because it made her life warmer.
That difference was everything.
