---- Chapter 8 Arthur POV: The night air by the river was cool, but a strange, unsettling heat coiled in my gut. Claudia wanted to come here, to the spot where the city launched its nightly fireworks display. ' d tried to refuse, telling her the damp air wasn' t good for her or the baby, but she' d pouted and reminded me of a promise |' d made years ago. So, I' d given in. | always gave in. | stared out at the dark, churning water, the restlessness inside me growing with every passing second. | pulled out my phone. Nothing. No calls, no messages from Jody. It wasn't like her. Even when we fought, she always answered. | typed out a message-Are you okay?-but my thumb hovered over the send button. What was | doing? | was the one who was angry. She was the one who needed to apologize. | deleted the text, shoving the phone back into my pocket. "Oh, look!" Claudia gasped, her voice pulling me from my thoughts. The first firework exploded in the sky, a brilliant shower of gold against the black velvet night. The crowd around us cheered. Claudia snuggled closer, her head resting on my shoulder. It was a familiar, comfortable weight. She had been leaning on ---- me her whole life. | had always been her protector, her constant. Especially after she saved my life. | owed her that. | owed her everything. My parents had taken her in after her own family died in a fire, and from that day on, she was my shadow, my responsibility. The guilt was a permanent fixture in my soul, a debt | felt | could never truly repay. That one act of childhood heroism had bought her a lifetime of my devotion. But even with her beside me, the anxiety wouldn't fade. It was a persistent hum beneath the surface, a wrong note in the symphony of the celebration. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. | pulled out my phone again, my resolve crumbling. | had to know she was okay. | had to hear her voice. "What are you looking at?" Claudia asked, trying to peek at my screen. | quickly locked it. "Just work," | lied. She sighed dramatically. "Work can wait, Arthur. You' re with me. It' s my birthday." She tugged on my arm. "I' m hungry. Let's go to that new Japanese place." | sighed, defeated. "Alright." At the restaurant, she chattered on about clothes and baby names, her voice a cheerful, meaningless buzz in my ears. | nodded and smiled in all the right places, but my mind was miles away, back at the mansion, in a locked guest room with a silent woman. ---- | checked my phone under the table. Still nothing. The knot in my stomach tightened. "Arthur, you have something in your eye," Claudia said suddenly, her voice soft with concern. Before | could protest, she leaned across the table, her face close to mine. "Hold still, let me blow it out." Her breath was warm against my cheek. It was an innocent gesture, one she' d done a hundred times before, but tonight it felt different. Charged. Uncomfortable. Her eyes held mine for a moment too long, and | pulled back, a strange sense of unease washing over me. "Is something bothering you?" she asked, her head tilted. "You seem distracted."