Then she exhaled, blowing the smoke out of the window.
Outside, the world continued to turn. Headlines would soon be made. Messes to clean, hopefully.
Inside, Eliza stood barefoot in the silence.
The world didnβt need her tonight.
God, how she wished it did.
Not with Ethan home.
Not when others could smell it.
Tonight?
Tonight belonged to Eliza.
The smoke filled her lungs like a lit fuse β steady, slow burning, inevitable. She held it for a few seconds. Letting it anchor her. +