CHAPTER 41: New Life

I hung up the phone and stared at it, feeling the weight of their rejection settle over me. But at the same time, there was a strange sense of freedom in it. I was no longer tethered to their expectations, no longer bound by the need to please them. I had lost so much already—my baby, my marriage—and now, it seemed, my family too. But I was still standing.

Claire found me sitting on the couch, my phone clenched in my hand, my face pale.

“They called, didn’t they?” she asked softly, sitting beside me.

I nodded, my throat tight. “Dad’s angry. Because of the divorce. Because I’ve ‘embarrassed’ them.”

Claire’s expression darkened, and she reached for my hand. “Screw them. They don’t know what you’ve been through. They don’t deserve you, Cassandra.”

I let out a shaky breath, feeling a rush of gratitude for Claire. She had been the only person who had stood by me through all of this, never once judging me for the decisions I had made. She had seen the pain, the loss, and still, she remained