Over at the other campfire, Moran and his friends were still awake. He hadn''t


    been actively spying, but he''d caught glimpses of Charlene''s group throughout the night. Seeing them all head to bed, an idea struck him. He opened his group chat and tagged Thorne. [@Thorne Henderson, you asleep?]


    There was no immediate reply, but Moran didn''t seem to care. He typed another message: [What''s Minnie been up to thest couple of days?]<fnfbd8> Newest update provided by find?novel</fnfbd8>


    Granger and Vesta, both still awake, saw the messages pop up.


    "Why are you suddenly asking about Minnie?" Granger asked quietly.


    Moran lowered his voice. "You saw Charlene tonight, right? She and Stewart are practically joined at the hip. They were singing, watching the bonfire, catching fireflies... having the time of their lives. In the old days, she would''ve brought Minnie to something like this in a heartbeat. But now... it''s like she only has eyes for Stewart."


    Granger paused, unsure how to respond.


    When Thorne still hadn''t answered, Moran turned to Vesta. "Is he asleep?"


    Vesta was staring at her phone. Just as she was about to speak, a notification appeared in the chat.


    Thorne: [Not yet. Minnie''s been ying at home. Why?]


    Vesta froze. She''d messaged Thorne earlier herself, bored and hoping to chat, but he hadn''t replied, and she''d assumed he was busy. Now, seeing him answer Moran instantly, her fingers tightened around her phone.


    Just then, a private message from Thorne finally came through: *Just finished up with work. What''s going on?*


    It took her several seconds to type back: [Nothing. Just bored.]


    In the group chat, Moran was already typing a storm, rehashing what he''d just told Granger: [You know Charlene''s here, right? She''s having a great time with her new friends. They''ve got all sorts of activities nned. If you were here, you would''ve brought Minnie wouldn''t you? But it''s like she''pletely forgotten about her. I think she''s really trying to make a clean break and start a new life with Stewart.]


    s


    Thorne''s reply was swift and sinct: [Yeah.]


    Moran: [...]


    He should have expected that. As far as Moran was concerned, Thorne didn''t care about Charlene, so whether she wanted a divorce to start over or for any other reason, it was all the same to him.


    Granger wasn''t surprised by Thorne''s indifference, but Vesta was.


    Then, another message from Thorne appeared in the group: [Did you guys see any shooting stars? Have fun tonight.]


    Moran started chatting with him about the rest of the night.


    The next morning, York, an early riser, was already up and strolling around the campsite before the sun had fully risen. As he headed back toward his tent, he ran into Vesta, who was just setting out for walk herself.  s


    Vesta paused. "Morning," she said with a nod.


    "Morning," York replied.


    She opened her mouth to say something else, but York''s gaze drifted past her, toward Charlene'' tent. He saw movement, and realizing Charlene was awake, his focus snapped back to Vesta He gave her another curt nod and walked away without a backwar nce, leaving her standing alone, her pleasantries unspoken.  s