# Chapter 35: A Thanksgiving of Silence, Suits, and Red Flags
Hello everyone, it's me again! How are you all doing? Today I will continue to walk with you and review Chapter 35 of "The Deal: Off Campus"—a chapter that trades the usual banter and heat for something colder, sharper, and far more unsettling. This is the Thanksgiving dinner from hell, where silence speaks louder than words, and where Hannah begins to see the cracks in a world that looks polished on the surface.
The chapter opens with Hannah and Garrett driving into Boston, and the tension is already thick enough to choke on. Garrett barely speaks for two hours, his body radiating stress in steady, palpable waves. He's dressed in a black suit, white dress shirt, black jacket, and tie—formal armor his father demanded. Hannah wears a blue silk dress and silver heels, and Garrett even managed a grin earlier, joking that he might finally be able to kiss her standing up without getting a crick in his neck. It's a small, sweet moment, but it's quickly swallowed by the weight of what's coming.
They arrive at Phil Graham's brownstone in Beacon Hill, which is not the mansion Hannah expected, but still unmistakably wealthy. The nineteenth-century row houses, brick sidewalks, and gas lamps are beautiful, and Hannah can't help but admire them. But her admiration is tinged with sorrow. She thinks of her parents' cozy split-level in Ransom, a three-bedroom house that has nearly bankrupted them, and the unfairness of it all stings. Why does a man like Phil Graham have endless rooms and money to furnish them, while good people like her parents struggle to keep a roof over their heads?
At the front door, they are greeted not by Phil, but by Cindy—a pretty blonde in a red cocktail gown with a lacy black overlay. She's warm and elegant, but her pale blue eyes hold what Hannah calls "old eyes," deep and wise, as if she's lived through several lifetimes already. Garrett answers her greeting brusquely: "It's nice to meet you too...?" He lets the question hang, and Cindy's smile falters. She realizes Phil never told his son her name. She fills in the blank: "Cindy." Hannah introduces herself and shakes her hand.
Cindy tells them Phil is in the sitting room and very excited to see Garrett. Garrett snorts. Hannah squeezes his hand in warning. They walk past two living rooms before reaching the sitting room—which looks like yet another living room. Phil is in a brown wing-backed chair, balancing a tumbler of amber liquid on his knee. He wears a suit, and the resemblance between him and Garrett is jarring: same gray eyes, same strong jaw, same chiseled face. But Phil's features are sharper, and wrinkles around his mouth suggest a lifetime of scowling. He nods at Hannah. That's it. A nod. No words. No warmth.
Cindy invites them to sit. Garrett remains standing. He doesn't say a word to his father, or Cindy, or Hannah. Absolute silence stretches between the four of them. Hannah tries small talk—football, Thanksgiving traditions—but Cindy says Phil doesn't like football. Hannah mentions her music major. Cindy says "Oh." More silence. Garrett leans against a bookcase, expression vacant. Phil's expression is the same. Hannah feels trapped, her palms clammy, the oxygen in the room tainted by animosity.
When Cindy mentions the turkey, Hannah practically dives to her feet, wobbling in her four-inch heels, and follows Cindy to the kitchen. She shoots Garrett an apologetic look, but she can't stomach being trapped in that room any longer. In the large modern kitchen, Cindy reveals she cooked everything herself. She loves to cook, but Phil rarely gives her the chance. He prefers to dine out. Hannah asks how long she and Phil have been together. A little over a year. They met at a charity event Cindy was organizing. Cindy was an event planner, but she sold her company a few months ago because Phil said he missed her too much when she was at work. Hannah's internal alarm blares. That's a red flag if she's ever seen one.
Cindy explains that Phil expects to eat the moment the turkey is ready. When he sets a schedule, everyone follows it. She uses a gravy mix instead of making it from scratch because they're strapped for time. As she reaches up to grab a pot, her lacy sleeves ride up, and Hannah sees bluish-black bruising on the undersides of both her wrists. As if someone grabbed her. Hard. Cindy's arms come down, and the sleeves cover the marks. Hannah tells herself the black lace is playing tricks on her eyes.
Hannah asks if Cindy lives with Phil or has her own place. Cindy moved in about two weeks after they met. Hannah says that's impulsive. Cindy's voice is bitter when she says, "Spontaneity has the tendency to backfire on you." She glances over her shoulder, and Hannah sees unmistakable sorrow in her eyes. Hannah has no clue how to respond. So she says, "Oh." She gets the feeling she's going to be saying that word a lot tonight.
**Reader's Impressions & Star Rating**
This chapter is a masterclass in quiet tension. There is no explosive fight, no dramatic confession—just the slow, suffocating pressure of a family dinner where every silence cuts deeper than words. Hannah's discomfort is so palpable it made my skin crawl, and her empathy for Cindy is heartbreaking. Garrett's silence is painful to witness; he's a fortress, but you can feel the wounded boy behind the wall. Phil is chilling in his coldness, and Cindy's story—the lost career, the rushed move-in, the bruises—is a quiet horror story wrapped in lace and turkey gravy. The contrast between Hannah's struggling family and Phil's obscene wealth adds another layer of ache. This chapter isn't romantic, but it's essential. It deepens the characters, raises the stakes, and plants seeds that will definitely bloom into conflict.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.8 / 5 Stars
**Next Chapter Prediction**
I predict the drive home will be explosive. Hannah will confront Garrett about his father, and Garrett will finally crack open the door to his past. We'll learn more about why he hates Phil so much, and maybe Hannah will tell him what she saw on Cindy's wrists. The bruises won't stay hidden forever. Cindy's warning about spontaneity and backfire feels like a prophecy—and I think Hannah will soon be caught between helping a woman she barely knows and protecting the boy she's falling for. Phil Graham is not done making everyone miserable, and Thanksgiving is only the beginning.
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