"Nathan—" I stopped, corrected myself, though it hardly mattered anymore. "Derek. That's not a fair question."
"It is."
"No. It's fair when someone's actually been paying attention for the last two years."
He looked away. For the first time that day, he looked tired in a way that had nothing to do with his suit.
"I knew you had family," he said. "I didn't know you were *Kingsley* family."
"I'm not part of it the way you think."
"He's your grandfather, Claire."
"And you were my husband," I said. "That should have mattered more."
He didn't have an answer for that. The silence between us sat there, heavier than anything he could have said.
"When I met you," he said finally, "you were working doubles at that coffee counter. Living in a walk-up with a busted radiator. You told me you wanted a quiet life."
"I did."
"Why?"
The question came out smaller than I expected — not angry, almost wounded.
