Chapter 174 NEW YORK

Stan fondled with his phone for a while before deciding to call Claire. He hadn't been chanced to watch her that weekend and wondered what she might be up to. As the phone rang, Claire's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't expected to hear from Stan, especially not after the drama with Madeline earlier that day. She hesitated for a moment before answering, her mind racing with possibilities. "Hello?" she said, trying to sound casual. "Hey, Claire. It's Stan. I was just thinking about you and wanted to see how your day was going," he said, his voice friendly and nonchalant. Claire relaxed a bit, relieved that he didn't seem to know about the incident at the gym. "It's been a bit of a rollercoaster, to be honest," she said, trying to sound light-hearted. "But I'm okay. Just dealing with some drama from Madeline." Stan's tone turned sympathetic. "Ah, sorry to hear that. What happened?" Claire filled him in on the details, and Stan listened attentively, making supportive noises along th