Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Ah! I need to go home, Jonathan," Laura blurted out suddenly, her eyes darting to her phone again. She stood up quickly, grabbing her things in a flurry of motion. "I have somewhere to go today."

Jonathan blinked, caught off guard. "Wait, already?" he asked, but before he could say much else, Laura was already halfway to the door.

"See you later!" she called over her shoulder, flashing him a quick smile before rushing outside. Jonathan watched as she waved down a cab, his hand halfway raised in a futile attempt to stop her.

As the cab pulled away, Jonathan sat back down, a strange, hollow feeling settling in his chest. The coffee in front of him went untouched, cooling rapidly as he stared at the spot where Laura had been just moments before.

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Jonathan stabbed his fork into the steak on his plate, the sharp clink of metal on ceramic echoing in the otherwise silent dining room. The atmosphere was intense, as usual, during family dinners—his father at the head