Daniel clapped awkwardly, shaking hands, forcing a smile. Guests congratulated him, toasted him, laughed in cheerful ignorance. Inside, he felt his chest collapsing. Every suspicion, every accusation he had hurled now echoed louder than the music. The party wasn’t proof of Claire’s betrayal. It was proof of his own.
As speeches began, Daniel drifted at the edges, face aching from counterfeit laughter. Claire stood across the room, surrounded by friends, laughing too brightly. He longed to cross the floor, to explain, to beg forgiveness. But his pride kept him rooted, his guilt swelling heavier with each passing cheer.