Now facing Faith, Claire saw the rapid blinking, knowing it for what it was and knowing that it wasn't really any kind of victory, getting her friend to open up, but it was necessary.
"It's not pathetic, it's painfully, lamely normal," she said quietly. Nothing much about this situation was normal, but the general feelings and scenario of being cheated on and dealing with what that meant really were pretty normal "But until Sam dries out, we don't really know anything about what was Sam talking and what was all the rest talking." The blood, Ruby's brainwashing, whatever else had been done to him... and what had been Sam himself, alone.
But Claire knew it couldn't be had both ways as far as what had gone on the last few months. Sam couldn't have only meant the good things and not meant the harsh, awful things, because the world didn't work like that.
"What we can figure out, with or without knowing that, is that what he did, it doesn't make you pathetic or an idiot, okay? Sam tried to destroy himself, but he didn't destroy you. He cheated, he hurt you, but you're not suddenly less of anything."