Ryan went still.
“What?”
“A nurse called your emergency contact list. Your mother answered. She said you were unavailable and that Claire had a history of exaggerating.”
Ryan’s blood ran cold.
“No. She wouldn’t—”
“She did.”
Then Ryan remembered Evelyn slipping his phone into her handbag during dinner, smiling as she said, “No distractions tonight, darling.”
He had thought she was protecting the mood.
Now he understood she had been protecting herself.
Claire’s Classified Life
Before Ryan could speak again, the front door opened. A woman in a dark suit stepped out carrying a folder.
“General,” she said, “we have confirmation.”
Bennett took the folder.
Ryan stared at it.
“What confirmation?”
The general opened the file. His expression shifted for the first time—not into anger, but something colder.
Recognition.
“What is that?” Ryan asked.
Bennett looked at him.
“Claire’s classified service file.”
Ryan gave a stunned laugh.
