Nathan disappeared from the war room at approximately 11:47 PM on the third night of preparation, and no one noticed for nearly an hour.
This was unusual. Nathan was almost always present during household events—he had been present for every Sunday Dinner since Eleanor's first visit, every cooking competition, every Gerald the ficus ceremony, every PowerPoint presentation Sophie had ever delivered. He was the quiet presence on the couch, guitar in hand, fingers moving silently across the strings as he absorbed the chaos around him and translated it into music. Kevin had documented seventeen instances of Nathan composing during significant household moments, and Sophie had added a dedicated section to her PowerPoint titled "Nathan's Musical Documentation: The Unofficial Soundtrack of the Chen Household."
But tonight, Nathan was gone.
