Matthew wiped down his hand on Lilly's face to stop her from looking at him. A sinking feeling settled in his gut and he absentmindedly handed his beer to his wife and looked over his shoulder, stood up to look for the waitress to ask for another bottle of beer.
He didn't need to stand but he needed the space for him to be able to breathe. The feeling that hit his gut was suffocating. The last time that he had the same feeling, it ended up in a disaster and took years for him to recover.
He watched for the waitress approaching from afar. He heaved a deep sigh, rolling his neck, easing out the tension that suddenly built up over his shoulders. He knew quite well the contract that he signed with Lilly's father. He had to be careful because Robert is cunning.