Fifty- four

Martha

I sat with Lucian and Star at the dining table, eating some brunch consisting of strawberry strudel, croissants and churned butter, avocado toast, and a slice each of chocolate cake, along with some chocolate pudding.

The food was very delicious, no doubt, but the air was tense and awkward.

There were no words to describe it, nor to get rid of the vibe around here. So, I swallowed the tension along with my food, hoping to get this over with fast.

My mind was with Alex after all, I was really worried about him. We were on a call, then suddenly the phone must have slipped out of his hands, because I couldn’t hear him speak again. The last thing I heard was a pained groan from him, right before it cut off completely, so it was very obvious that I was worried.

It wasn’t like I could just drive up to Geri’s house and find out what went wrong, so my best bet was to call him countless times until he picks up, or someone does.

Speaking of phones, my eyes briefly scanned the spot in