---- Chapter 9 Arthur POV: My heart hammered against my ribs. | avoided her gaze, focusing on a random spot on the wall behind her. "No, I'm just tired." "You' re lying," she said softly, her voice holding a knowing, almost gentle quality. "You' re worried about Jody, aren' t you?" She sighed, a delicate, theatrical sound. "We should go back. It's my birthday, but your happiness is more important. Let' s go home." Her words were like a key, unlocking the cage of my anxiety. She was being so understanding, so selfless. A wave of guilt washed over me. | had been short with her, distracted, all because of a fight with Jody. A fight Jody had started. "No, it' s okay," | said, trying to reassure her, and myself. "When we get home, I' Il make sure Jody apologizes to you properly." "Don' t be silly, Arthur," Claudia said, cutting me off with a wave of her hand. "I' m not angry with her. She' s just emotional. Really, let' s go back. | don' t want you to be worried on my account." Her perceived kindness disarmed me completely. She was ---- right. | needed to go home. | needed to fix things with Jody. "Okay," | said, standing up and grabbing my coat. "Let's go." | saw the smile on Claudia' s face falter for a split second, a flicker of shock and disappointment. She hadn' t actually expected me to agree so readily. She had expected me to protest, to insist on staying, to prove that she was my priority. But the pull of my own unease was too strong. On the ride home, | felt a sense of purpose return. | would fix this. Jody was stubborn, but she loved me. | just needed to show her | loved her, too. | reached into my coat pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. Inside was a delicate platinum necklace with a single, perfect star pendant. | had bought it weeks ago, a surprise for her. |' Il give this to her, | thought. She' II forgive me. She always does. | was about to text her-Wait for me. ' m coming home.-when a notification popped up on my screen. A single text message. From Jody. My heart leaped. | opened it, a relieved smile already forming on my lips. The smile died instantly. The words on the screen were stark, brutal. Arthur, let' s break up. We are over. ---- The world went silent. The air left my lungs. The velvet box slipped from my nerveless fingers, tumbling to the floor of the car. The star pendant glinted up at me from the dark mat, mocking me. No. This was a joke. A mistake. She was just angry. She didn 't mean it. My hands were shaking so violently | could barely hold the phone. | hit her contact, my thumb jabbing at the screen. It rang once, twice, then went to voicemail. Her voice, bright and cheerful, filled the car. "Hi, you' ve reached Jody. Please leave a message." | hung up and called again. And again. And again. Voicemail every time. She never sent me to voicemail. Never. A cold, primal fear, unlike anything | had ever known, gripped me. | tried one more time. The call didn' t even go through. A curt, automated message informed me: The number you have dialed has blocked your call. Blocked. She had blocked me. "Arthur? What' s wrong?" Claudia' s voice barely registered. | couldn't speak. | just stared at the screen, at the proof of my ---- new, terrifying reality. My mind was a chaotic storm of denial and panic. Why? Why would she do this? We had a fight. We always had fights. This was just... another fight. Wasn' t it? "Callher," | croaked, shoving my phone at Claudia. "Call Jody. Now. Claudia' s face was a mask of concern. She took the phone and dialed. | watched her, my breath held in my chest. She put the phone to her ear, then pulled it away, her brow furrowed. "It went straight to voicemail," she said, her own voice laced with fake distress. "Oh, Arthur. I'm so sorry. Maybe... maybe she blocked me too? She never did like me very much." | wasn' t listening to her crocodile tears. A raw, ragged sound tore from my throat, a sound of pure agony. "Home," | snarled at the driver. "Get us home. Now."