124 My Pipe Burst

Several minutes earlier…

Angela's phone had been flashing as Gael's calls came in, but because she had put it on silent mode, she didn't hear anything. She had been asleep since she arrived home from her date with Vincent. 

At half past seven in the evening, she finally fluttered her eyes open. Her room was pitch dark from the heavy set of blackout curtains, so she clumsily patted for the lamp on the nightstand and turned it on. The soft yellow light illuminated the place, and for a second, she felt disoriented as if she had been sleeping for years and had only woken up.

Wondering what time it is, Angela reached for her phone on the nightstand. She saw the small icons on top of the screen, telling her how many messages and phone calls she had missed—from Vincent, Oliver, and Gael.

She read her brother's messages first.

[ Oliver: My assistant told me she saw you with Stone at lunch today. Do you like this guy? ]