a's

front of the hotel. It

man at the front desk. My voice was

three years. I had been Nadia Hargrove since the wed

me to the top floor. I took the elevator up alone, m

e was be

s looking out over the park, the city lights soft and distant below. Everything in the room was clean

st

ned against it with my ba

d sat on the edge of it

d up my

one person I wa

p on the second ring, day or night, which was one of a

at witch finally turn you into a f

, like the laugh and the cry had been waiting behind

. "It's over. Dorian and I... we're gett

lent for a half

to move the phone away from my ear. "What do you mean i

ps together, trying to decide where to star

any of the juicy parts. Tell me where you are, I will come over t

de me smile. Only Mara coul

and. "It's that girl, Lena. Dorian left me for her. I mean I saw this coming but it still hurts. Y

hought he loved you. Who does he think he is? He's not even that handsome! Wi

eath and lay back on the b

worse,"

as if Mara knew, when I said thos

o leave her son. She told me to take it

he other end of the line. I t

you there

u like a piece of furniture. That... that disgusting, old, wrinkled hag

sed m

e said he loved someone else. He basically admitted it was Lena. He stood there and watched hi

he cries for his mommy. How could he do that to you? You gave up everything for that jerk! you stopped workin

oat ti

felt heavy. "But Mara... I

ara was still there... I could hear her breathing but she w

ice was stunned. "Nadia... you actually

that I was never going to win if I stayed. If I took t

another br

a second. I could almost hear her thinking. "I know you, Nadia. We've been friends since we were five years old. I know how your brain works. You don't just walk away

up sli

Mara?" I asked, lettin

now. I can't see you, but I know it's there. You accepted that money, but you aren't done with the Hargroves, are yo

y. My spine s

ner of my mouth. The fi

of a problem, but she actually just funded the person who is going to destroy her. I'm going to take everything from them. Thei

because I know you're not gonna say anything. Listen I'm not saying I fully support you

d from the back of my skull to somewhere behind my eyes. "My head hurts too much. I've been through too much tonight

get a drink. But make sure

ight, Mara. And thank yo

Nadia.

all e

pants and I held the phone in my lap for a moment. The room was sti

ere, running just under the surface of everything. Hav

abinet by the wardrobe. I could see the sm

tronger than what th

~

f the hotel had a cl

ed my shoes, ran my fingers through my hair once

everything th

ive. I could feel th

down and the bartender was there almost immediately...

me and I look

whiskey,

commentary. I appreci

her. Then I looked at the

three," I

without asking a single questio

rent way. I wasn't trying to forget. I understood, even through the fog of it, that what happened in that library was n

water found the shape of whatever held it. Someone laughed nearby at something I couldn't hear. Nobody in t

d. The alcohol had reached the stage where things were a bit blurry. I was

when I

. not the anxious kind, not the kind that made you want to check the exits. Th

slowly, keeping m

booth acro

shirt with the sleeves rolled up past his forearms, no suit, no tie. His hair was dark and a little unkempt, like he had run his hand through it at som

like he belon

the city the way they wore their suits... as an identity, a signal of everything they wanted

when I caught him at i

hen he picked up his glass

turned back to the bar and asked for water and gone upstairs to sleep. But that version of me h

had nothing left to lose and

the man acro

w, lazy smile. A

ghtly. He was clearly surprised. He

r now, and it wasn't from the whiskey. I picked up m

was still functional enough to register it. But recklessness felt

hing else, was the thought: Dor

de it p