Even though it was already evening, Clara didn't want to go home yet.
After leaving Dr. Lilian's office, she drove aimlessly for a while, letting the early evening sun guide her.
Yes, she missed her son already, she missed him so much, but going home early meant possibly running into Ethan or his parents, and she wasn't ready for that. Not with her heart still bruised and raw.
She didn't want to sit under the Ashford roof pretending everything was fine. She didn't want to face Margaret's guilt, Robert's silence, or Ethan's heartbreak.
She just wanted some quiet, because she knew; soon the chaos will be too much, especially once the custody battle starts.
Almost without thinking, Clara found herself pulling into the open parking space at a public beach that she used to frequent with Sofia and Riley. It wasn't crowded at the hour she arrived there, with only a few joggers and families packing up their towels.
