Maxwell POV

I stopped without realizing it, the words drying in my throat as the memory pressed too close to my chest. The lake rippled softly in front of us, moonlight stretching across the water like fractured glass. I hadn’t meant to pause, but suddenly the weight of everything I was saying settled deep in my bones.

Claire tilted her head, studying me. “Why did you stop?” she asked gently.

I exhaled, rubbing the back of my neck. “I need a drink,” I said. “This part… ...