After much thinking, Naomi still couldn't make sense of things. She said, "Claude is getting a lot of attention, so it makes sense that someone might be after him."

Tyler just nodded, not looking up from what he was doing.

That same evening, Olivia's phone rang. It was Claude on the other end. "Olivia," he began, his voice calm.

Olivia's heart raced, but Claude spoke gently. "Do you believe them?"

His voice carried a touch of sadness as he continued, "Other people's opinions don't matter to me, but yours does. At my age, why should I care so much about what you think? Do you think I'm a rapist?"

process everything. Claude had left his job at Yancey Bank and was dealing with a lot, yet he still made time to call her. She hadn't realized how important she was to

Morgan, who loved Claude deeply. How could

silence, Olivia finally

believe me?" he

unsure, so she answered honestly, "I don't know

a lot to me," Claude

asked. His reaction seemed to confirm

his deep, low voice that still carried its usual gentleness, Olivia

care about what others think. I just care about

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