Chapter 14 - A DANCE WITHOUT FEAR
Six months later, Vincent invited Claire to a small charity dinner.
Not at the Grand Astor.
Not in a ballroom filled with powerful strangers.
But at a quiet restaurant overlooking the East River.
Claire arrived wearing a dark green dress.
Vincent stood when he saw her.
For a moment, he simply stared.
“What?” she asked.
He smiled.
“You look beautiful.”
She laughed.
“You're staring.”
“I know.”
They had been dating for several months.
Slowly.
Carefully.
With conversations that sometimes lasted until sunrise.
Vincent had learned to tell Claire difficult truths before she discovered them herself.
Claire had learned that disagreement didn't have to mean danger.
After dinner, a small band began playing.
Vincent stood.
“Claire.”
She looked up.
“Yes?”
“Would you dance with me?”
She smiled.
“For forty seconds?”
He laughed.
“However long you like.”
She took his hand.
And together, they stepped onto the floor.
This time, she wasn't hiding from Ethan.
She wasn't afraid.
May you like
She wasn't trying to escape.
She was dancing because she wanted to.
