The great mood I had vanished, and I couldn’t escape this strange feeling all afternoon. It felt like I got sucked into a black hole. Everything seemed calm on the surface, but I had no idea how many things were linked to me.

In the afternoon, I received another invitation, this time from Matthew. He was throwing a big celebration for his new baby, almost as if he wanted the entire city to know he had a son now.

He called me as soon as I got the invitation, his voice filled with pride.

“Chlo,