Chapter 214

Claire slowed her steps, stuck between “Should I butt in or just let it go?” While she was still torn, a middle-aged woman in a fancy dress stepped out of one of the rooms, plump and smiling ear to ear, walking enthusiastically toward Mrs. King with that overly eager energy. The two of them chatted as they walked, clearly heading toward the mask room. “...That girl—” Viola Coleman spotted Claire standing in the hallway. The moment their eyes met, she was hit with an odd sense of familiarity. Like a long-buried memory had cracked open just a sliver — hazy, but still enough to tug at something deep inside. Claire had already been thinking, “Forget it, my life's messy enough without trying to fix someone else's.” Worst case, she’d just call the cops anonymously or something. But now that they’d noticed her—and were actually looking her way—well, guess the universe had made the call for her. She walked up and greeted them. “Hi.” “This is one of tonight’s guests,” Mrs. King explained, clear