Mathew Fischer

Chris gripped the steering wheel, his mind tangled in a mess of emotions. His chest felt tight, and the silence in the car was suffocating. His thoughts kept circling back to Claire's face before she stepped out—how pale she looked, the way her lips had parted like she wanted to say something but couldn't.

He exhaled sharply and reached for his phone, dialing Alex's number. There was no way he was letting her stay there all alone in this situation.

The call barely rang twice before Alex picked up.

"Chris? What's up? Did the dinner end already? Why are you calling? To tell me you're tired of my sister?" he joked.

Chris let out a bitter chuckle. "Yeah. The dinner ended before it even started."

There was a pause. "What do you mean?" Alex asked, not liking Chris's tone.