Chapter 2 - The Dinner Party
I stared at the tiny screen on my wrist, my blood running completely cold.
Damon had just deleted my master access while standing right in front of me.
He knew I was getting suspicious.
He was already locking me out of my own house's digital footprint.
I forced myself to walk out of the kitchen as if I had not seen the notification at all.
The next evening, Claire and Owen arrived at our house with a bottle of sparkling cider.
Claire hugged me tightly, her fake joy making my skin physically crawl.
She smelled like the exact same expensive perfume I had caught in my closet yesterday.
We sat down in the dining room to eat the roast I had spent hours preparing.
Owen raised his cider glass to make a cheerful toast.
"To the expanding family," Owen said, looking at me with a warm smile.
He then turned to look at Claire with deep, unconditional affection.
"And since we are celebrating new life, Claire and I have our own news," he announced.
Claire suddenly looked terrified, her wide eyes darting across the table to Damon.
Damon gripped his steak knife so hard his knuckles turned completely white.
"Claire is pregnant," Owen announced proudly to the room.
The dining room went completely silent except for the ticking of the wall clock.
I forced a massive, fake smile onto my face and clapped my hands together.
"Oh my god, congratulations!" I squealed, reaching across the table to squeeze Claire's hand.
Her fingers felt like ice, and she pulled away almost instantly.
Damon quickly took a heavy gulp of his red wine, avoiding eye contact with everyone.
"Wow, that is a massive surprise," Damon muttered under his breath.
I did the mental math in my head instantly.
Claire and Owen had been having severe fertility issues for over a year.
If she was pregnant now, the timing aligned perfectly with the six weeks Damon had been working late.
Owen beamed, completely oblivious to the suffocating tension in the room.
"We just found out yesterday morning," Owen said happily.
I excused myself to the kitchen to get the dessert plates.
While slicing the cherry pie, I heard a harsh whisper coming from the darkened hallway.
I peeked around the corner.
May you like
Damon had Claire pinned against the wall, hissing furiously into her ear.
"You told me you took care of it at the clinic," Damon whispered furiously.
