But honestly, Claire wasn't surprised. Back when her relationship with Lucas went public, she had kind of expected someone from the Thompson family would reach out. What she didn't expect was that it took them this long to actually call. Still, she didn't rush to pick up the phone. It rang for quite a while before she lazily reached out and answered. She didn't say anything though, just stayed quiet and listened. The voice on the other end was overly sweet, trying a little too hard. "Claire, it's Mom. How have you been lately?" Claire was in the middle of eating. Lucas had bought her a little cake on his way back, just to cheer her up. She scooped a bite into her mouth, and though her tone stayed polite enough—after all, no point lashing out at someone trying to act fri

