The phone rang, startling her. Clare set aside the journal and took a deep breath to calm her emotions before she answered.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Clare. It’s Janice Hayes.”

“Hi, Janice. It’s so nice to hear from you.”

“How are you?”

“I’m actually getting ready to go home. One more week.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful news! Cooper and I have been keeping tabs on you.”

Cooper Hayes had been Jack’s attorney for years. The four of them had socialized on many occasions, and he’d handled their divorce. It was nice to know she hadn’t been forgotten by her old friend. “Thank you, it’s good to hear your voice.”

“I’ve wanted to come by to see you, but Jack said you weren’t taking visitors at the hospital.”

“Yes, well, I kind of wanted to get back to my old self before I greeted the world. Why don’t you come by the house when I get home? I’d love to see you.”

“I’d like that. Coop told me what happened, that you were—”

“I was raped, and he threatened to kill one of my kids if I told anyone.” Clare saved her friend from having to say the words. “I didn’t tell anyone, and the stress was horrible.” She paused before she continued, knowing she might as well tell her friend the rest. “That day, in the parking lot, when the car was coming at me… I’m ashamed to say I saw it as a way out. I let that car hit me, Janice.” Clare had only recently been able to speak of it after months of intense therapy. “I did a terrible thing to my girls by letting that happen right in front of them.”

“I’m so sorry, Clare,” Janice said in a whisper, and Clare could tell she was crying. “The man who hurt you—”

“He’s doing a life sentence in California. Apparently, he was a career felon.”

“Thank God they got him. I saw the piece in the paper about Jack getting married. I just can’t imagine how you must be feeling. You two were always so in love. We envied you.”

“Yes,” Clare said with a sigh. “On top of everything else, while I was in a coma, my husband fell in love with someone else and was expecting twins with her by the time I recovered. Needless to say, it was quite a shock.”

“I’m sure it was terrible for you. Are you all right?”

“I’m doing better. It worked out the way it was meant to.”

“What you’ve been through, all of you… If there’s anything I can do for you, I hope you won’t hesitate to call.”

“I’ll need all the friends I can muster over the next few months. I do hope you’ll come by.”

“I will. I promise.”