Chapter 5 - The Return to the Lake CottageInstead of waiting at home, Claire decided to drive out to the Canandaigua Lake cottage. It was her birthday, and she intended to spend it reclaiming every piece of ground she had lost.
The drive took forty-five minutes. As she turned down the private gravel driveway of the cottage, Andrew’s sedan was parked right beside the front porch. Through the large picture window, she could see Andrew and Chloe laughing, uncorking a bottle of expensive champagne, completely unaware that their world was about to implode.
Claire parked her paramedic response vehicle—she had taken it from the station for official field coordination—right behind Andrew's car, blocking him in completely. She stepped out, her uniform crisp, her badge catching the afternoon sun.
She walked up the wooden steps and pushed the front door open without knocking. The door swung wide with a loud, echoing bang.
May you like
Andrew froze, the champagne bottle halfway to his glass. Chloe gasped, dropping a linen napkin onto the hardwood floor.
“Claire?” Andrew stammered, his face draining of all color. “What—what are you doing here? How did you find this place?”
