CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY TWO - Lost Horizons

Just as Claire thought things couldn't get worse, a commotion erupted a few rows ahead. Two couples, who had been bickering quietly for the past hour, suddenly escalated their argument into a full-blown shouting match. "I can't believe you're still defending her!" A woman's shrill voice cut through the cabin. "After everything she's done!" "Oh, here we go again," her partner shot back. "Always playing the victim, aren't you?" The other couple joined in, their voices overlapping in a cacophony of accusations and insults. Claire sank lower in her seat, wishing she could disappear. Between the turbulence and the domestic drama unfolding before her, this flight was quickly becoming a nightmare. A flight attendant hurried over, trying to calm the situation. "Please, ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to have to ask you to lower your voices. You're disturbing the other passengers." For a moment, it seemed like her intervention had worked. The couples quieted down, muttering apologies. But