Eleanor approved at once. Brooke smiled and said it would be good for Clare to feel normal again. Clare agreed. She told herself she would wait until after the anniversary. Then she would tell them everything.
The days leading up to it passed in a careful blur. Clare kept her routine steady—early meetings, long hours, the familiar pressure that came with being good at what she did. Work was demanding, but it was clean. Predictable. When she was there, she felt like herself. At home, things moved more slowly. Evenings stretched.