Images of Evan laughing and sharing tender moments with another girl during their college days flickered in Claudia's mind, only to be replaced in an instant by the sharp sting of their heart-wrenching parting. The abruptness of it left her feeling unsettled.
Vincent, always sharp as a tack with his lawyer's intuition, noticed the flicker of sorrow in her eyes and immediately realized the topic had hit a nerve. Without missing a beat, he skillfully shifted the conversation toward himself, lightening the mood with a bit of humor and playful self-deprecation.
Claudia couldn't help but smile again, the tension easing from her shoulders.
*****
Leo, fed up with the noise from the banquet, slipped out of the private room to catch a breath of fresh air.
As he walked through the hall, his eye
