Page 119 of Icy Cold Death

Beckett had been right.

She didn’t look exactly like her. The last years had been rough on her. They had aged her and had been brutal.

She looked so beaten down.

“I just want to thank you for what you did, Lianna,” she stated.

Lianna was confused.

So.

Damn.

Confused.

“I don’t understand.”

Claire explained.

“Because of you, you saved me from your fate. Instead, you put me on the path to my soulmate. Because of what you chose, I found Beckett. I now have Autumn, a job I love, and my family.”

Tears filled Lianna’s eyes.

“Because of your choice, I was forced to a path that gave me joy. I’m sorry that you lived my fate. If I could take that from you, I would. I can’t, but life is like that. Now, you have to make a few more choices to save yourself, and I know you can do it. We’ll help you.”

Julian smiled at his sister.

Yeah, this was their Claire.

She’d been pissed, but she figured it out.

Honestly, he was proud.

“You’ve found us, and you want to come into our world. You need to be cognizant of a few things. First, family is number one. Period. You have the power to hurt or help the people you’re tied to. I’d die for anyone who works here. We’re family.”

Lianna let her talk.

“Second, I have a stake in the business Julian wants to put you in charge of. They need me to say I allow it. That’s how this works. We all are equal partners.”

She didn’t move.

Lianna was expecting to be hurt.

“Lastly, this is a long time coming.”

She braced for it.

“I forgive you, Lianna. I forgive you for the sins you committed against me because the universe already punished you for them. You don’t need me piling on to make it even worse. There’s no joy in that for me.”

Jesus.

Talk about a full direction change.

She looked over at Julian.

“I’ll transfer my stakes in the bail bonds company to Lianna, so she becomes an equal partner in all of our ventures. She can have my portion. I will gift her more because she needs it. I don’t. I have everything I have ever wanted in life.”

At the table, the woman began crying, and Claire did what she knew was the right thing.

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