Matthew burned with anger as he saw Alex burst into Claire’s office. Without a second thought, he stomped towards Alex and punched him hard. Alex was caught off guard and stumbled slightly, looking at Matthew like he was a crazy person. “What the fuck?!” Alex exclaimed, but Matthew didn’t care. He threw another punch at Alex, who managed to dodge it this time and punched Matthew back.
The two men grappled, each trying to gain the upper hand. Alex managed to get on top of Matthew, pinning him down. As they fought, Matthew spat out angrily, “Because of your girlfriend, Claire got hurt!”
Alex stopped punching and froze in place, shocked. “Claire got hurt?”
Matthew took the opportunity to punch him one last time, making Alex wince in pain. Matthew got up while Alex was still lying on the floor, a few trickles of blood coming from his lips.
Alex, still panting, got up and demanded. “What do you mean Claire got hurt?”
The doctor, who had been in the room watching the fight, looked unsure of what to do. Matthew grabbed hold of Alex’s shirt and pulled him close, sneering, “Your girlfriend’s actions put Claire in danger. She got hurt because of it.” Before Alex could respond, the doctor interrupted them. “Ms. Peterson is waking up.”
Both men’s heads turned towards Claire. Matthew pushed Alex away, and Alex glared at him before walking to the couch where Claire was lying, unconscious.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she spotted Matthew and Alex looking down at her with concern. She groaned softly. “What… what happened?”
Matthew rushed to her side. “Claire, are you okay?”
Claire looked around, confusion evident on her face. “Why are you both here? What’s going on? Where am I?”
Matthew explained gently, “You’re at your office, Claire.” He sat by her side and helped her sit up. “Here, drink some water,” he said, handing her a glass. Claire took a sip, then looked at Matthew and Alex. “Why is there a doctor here?”
Matthew sighed. “You fainted earlier.”
Claire’s eyes widened slightly, and she simply said, “Oh.” She didn’t know how to respond to that.
Matthew turned to the doctor. “Is Claire going to be, okay?”
The doctor nodded. “Ms. Peterson is fine and healthy, but she seems to be under a lot of pressure. The bruise on her neck needs treatment.”
Alex’s head snapped towards the doctor. “A bruise on her neck?” he repeated, disbelief and anger evident in his voice.
The doctor continued, “I’ve already treated the bruise on her fist. Claire needs plenty of rest.”
Matthew thanked the doctor and escorted him out, leaving Alex and Claire alone in the room.
Alex cleared his throat, trying to mask his concern. “How are you feeling, Claire?”
Claire shrugged, looking uncertain. “I don’t know.”
Not long after that, Matthew walked back in, deliberately bumping his shoulder against Alex. Alex glared at him, but Matthew ignored it and took a seat next to Claire. She looked back and forth between them, noticing Matthew’s bruised cheek and Alex’s split lip. “Did I miss something?” she asked, narrowing her eyes to both of them.
Matthew looked around and shook his head. “No, nothing.”
Claire wasn’t convinced. “Did you guys have a fight?”
Matthew quickly responded, “We didn’t have a fight. We were just playing.”
He stood up next to Alex and placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to appear friendly. In truth, he squeezed Alex’s shoulder hard enough to make him flinch.
Alex gave Matthew a stinky eye and did the same to his other shoulder. “Oh yeah, we were just playing,” he said sarcastically.
Claire looked at them weirdly, seeing right through their act. She slid her leg down and placed the glass she was holding on the table, then turned to them. “Stop it. You two are acting like children.”
Matthew and Alex threw glares at each other but stayed quiet. Claire interrupted their silent standoff, turning to Matthew.
“Where is Lisa?”
Matthew’s attention shifted to Claire. “Lisa is in custody at the police station.”
Claire nodded and started to get up. “I have to go there.”
Matthew immediately stopped her. “You need rest, just like the doctor said.”
Matthew then asked, “What about the bruise the doctor mentioned earlier? The one on your neck?”
Instinctively, Claire’s hand reached up to her neck, hidden beneath a turtleneck sweater. She looked away, her voice dismissive. “It’s nothing.”
Neither Matthew nor Alex bought her excuse. Alex’s eyes narrowed as he asked, “Did Lisa do something to you, Claire?”
Claire turned to him, her face devoid of emotion. She looked away again, repeating, “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”
Alex wasn’t satisfied. As Claire stood up from her seat, Alex reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her close to him. Claire’s eyes widened at their sudden proximity. “Alex, what are you doing?” she demanded.
Ignoring her question, Alex pulled down the neck of her sweater, revealing a dark bruise. His frown deepened.
“What the hell is this?”
Claire pushed him away harshly, glaring at him. “You’ve crossed the line, Alex.”
“I’m sorry,” Alex said quickly, then added, “but that bruise looks like a handprint. Did Lisa do this to you?”
He turned to Matthew. “Did something happen earlier?”
Matthew answered seriously, “Yes, Lisa jumped on Claire and tried to choke her, but Claire punched her.”
Alex’s mind raced, finding the
situation odd. Even if Lisa had choked Claire, the bruise wouldn’t appear so quickly. He turned his attention back to Claire, his eyes narrowing as he spoke with certainty.
“The day Lisa called me, she choked you, didn’t she?”
Claire’s eyes widened, her heartbeat quickening. She hadn’t expected Alex to connect the dots so fast.
Matthew turned to Claire, looking stunned, and asked, “Is it true, Claire? Did Lisa choke you when you confronted her at the apartment?”
Claire turned away, her back to
them. She closed her eyes, not expecting either Matthew or Alex to find out about this. Matthew’s voice was fitted with concern as he said, “Why didn’t you tell me, Claire? I asked you if you were okay.”
Claire slowly turned around, her face showing little emotion, but a hint of guilt was in her eyes. “I didn’t want to make you worry,” she replied softly.
Alex chimed in, his tone rising. “Stop with the bullshit about not wanting to make others worry!” he said sharply.
Matthew turned to Alex, warning him, “Don’t speak to Claire like that.”
“I’m just stating the truth,” Alex retorted.
Matthew sighed and turned back to Claire. “Alex is right, Claire. The more you say you don’t want to make us worry, the more worried we get.”
Claire’s shoulders slumped slightly. “I know, Matthew. I’m sorry. I just… didn’t want to burden you with my problems.”
Alex’s frustration was evident as he pressed further, “Why is Lisa here, Claire? What happened?”
Claire took a deep breath. “She was standing on the edge of the building as if she was going to attempt suicide. But I know Lisa. She wasn’t really going to do it. I don’t know what was going through her mind.”
Alex pulled out his phone suddenly. “I need to go. I have work to do,” he said, turning to leave. As Alex stepped into the lift, he dialed his private investigator’s number. “I need you to locate Lisa,”