The dinner seemed to drag on endlessly for Jack. The restaurant’s ambiance, which had originally been meant to provide a calm environment, now felt suffocating. Sarah and Nathan were deep in conversation, the exchange between them light and casual. Jack sat there, a glass of wine in his hand, but he barely noticed the taste. His eyes kept flicking between the two of them, each moment making him feel more irritated, more out of place.
Sarah was laughing now, her smile wide as Nathan told her a story. Jack's grip on the wine glass tightened, his jaw clenching. He wasn’t sure what bothered him more—how effortlessly Nathan fit into the conversation or how Sarah seemed to be enjoying it. The way she spoke to Nathan was different, too—lively, animated, like she was interested in everything he h
