Chapter２４

I could scarcely force the word out. “Yes.”

When I saw the agony on his face, it mirrored the feeling in mine own. Carl was firmly planted, although it was clear from his look that he would have preferred to be elsewhere. Maybe he figured if he didn't move, we'd forget he was ever there.

Absolutely not.

“Why?” The key word here is "demand," which is what David used. I had gone through the response in my head many times, but suddenly I couldn't come up with it. Is there anybody else?" he said.

My gaze naturally wandered to Carl's, but he wasn't paying any attention to me. Frowning, he fixed his eyes on the counter. I could see there was some guilt involved. It was an emotion that I shared with you. It was an impenetrable barrier that kept everything within a tangled web of conflicting feelings.

For whatever reason, I chose to disregard David's second inquiry. "It's stopped functioning."

Yes, I recognize that the last several weeks haven't been ideal, but I've—"