Chapter 103
My plan was going surprisingly well. I guess good makeup and a dress was bound to draw an audience. As I slid into the seat beside him, the man leaned in and chuckled. “Can I buy you a drink?”
I returned his smile, my confidence growing with each step. “Sure, why not?”
As he ordered our drinks, I learned that his name was Harry. There was an air of understanding between us. This wasn’t going to go any deeper, and we enjoyed the air of mystery between us well enough. And as we conversed, I felt more confident in bringing him somewhere more private.
The night wore on, the bar around us becoming a blur as the conversation grew more heated. We laughed, we flirted, and in those moments, I felt a small sense of liberation. The weight of the past weeks seemed to fade into the background, replaced by the intoxicating rush of being attractive to someone.
As the music swelled and the energy of the bar reached its peak, Harry leaned in, his lips dangerously close to mine. “Do you want to get out of here?”
The question hung in the air, the possibility of what lay ahead a thrilling. possibility. I hesitated for a moment, the echoes of caution sounding in my mind. But then I looked into his eyes–the promise of adventure–and I nodded.
“Yes,” I said, my voice trembling slightly.
With a smile that was both alluring and genuine, he took my hand, leading me toward the exit. I was doing the right thing. I was letting loose…
Right?
The cool night air was a welcome contrast to the warmth of the bar, and as wel stepped out onto the sidewalk, I felt a rush of exhilaration.
The city around us was alive, a canvas of possibilities waiting to be explored. Harry’s gaze held a spark, a shared understanding of the uncharted territory we were about to navigate together.
As we walked side by side, the world around us seemed to fade into the background. The streetlights cast a soft glow, casting shadows that danced with the rhythm of our steps. And in that moment, I felt a sense of freedom–an escape
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Chapter 103
from the weight of my past, from the pain that had held me captive.
As we turned a corner, I stole a glance at Harry. His eyes were filled with a mix of anticipation and desire, his presence a reminder that the night held endless possibilities. And as our hands brushed against each other, the connection between us ignited once more, a flame that burned brighter with every passing second.
“I have to admit,” he said, his voice a seductive whisper, “I like you, Evie.” I smiled tightly. “I think I like you too, Harry.”
In the back of my mind, I couldn’t deny that part of my motivation was to show Timothy that I wasn’t tethered to the past, but this was uncharted territory.
As we arrived at a nearby hotel, the glow of the neon lights casting a surreal ambiance, my heart beat wildly in my chest. I wanted to prove to myself that I could be free, that I could live in the moment
without the shackles of my past weighing me down. Harry seemed well–versed in this arena, guiding me along with a carefree air that I only hoped to match.
As we stood at the door of the hotel room, doubt crept in. Harry peered over at me, a mischievous glint in his eye as we went to unlock the door. Once it swung open, his lips were crashing against mine with a shocking amount of passion.
“Oh!” I gasped, clasping onto his shirt for support.
Harry’s eyes held a mixture of anticipation and desire as he left a trail of wet kisses down my neck. His hands teased the zipper of my dress and eventually I felt the material loosen around my waist.
He looped his arms beneath my thighs and hoisted me up, latching back onto my lips as he carried me to the bed.
As I flopped onto the lumpy mattress, I looked into his eyes, searching for something–an answer, a sign, But all I found was my own uncertainty reflected back at me. And then, just as the moment hung in the balance, the truth rose to the surface, unbidden and undeniable.
“I’m sorry,” I said, pressing a hand to his chest. He was halfway through taking his shirt off. “I can’t do this.”
He looked puzzled, his brows furrowing in confusion. “Is everything okay?”
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Chapter 103
I nodded, my voice steady despite the tears threatening to escape. “It’s not you. It’s just…I’m not as free as I thought I was.”
He studied me for a moment, though his gaze was refreshingly understanding. “Hey, that’s all right. We don’t have to do anything here.”
With a heavy heart, I turned away and curled into a ball. “Thank you.”
We sat in deadening silence for a while. The clock on the wall ticked away, its echoes giving a warped sense of time.
“Hey.”
I rolled over to find Harry still sitting there, his gaze fixed on me with a certain curiosity. “Are you okay?” I offered a small smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just… I’m sorry for not being able to go through with it.”
He shrugged, his smile gentle. “It’s alright. If your heart’s not in it, then it’s the right decision.”
His words were slightly soothing, though the situation was still embarrassing. I suppose I had looked so self–confident that I fooled everyone but myself. “Thank you for understanding.”
As we sat there, a comfortable silence settled between us. And then, curiosity got the better of him. “Can I ask what stopped you?”
I hesitated for a moment, my gaze drifting to the pale wall. There’s someone else… someone I think I love. But he was always hurting me.”
Harry tilted his head to the side. “If he truly loved you, he would make things. right.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “He was trying to, but then something from our past resurfaced, something that put that to an end.”
Harry studied me for a moment, his gaze searching. “It sounds like a complicated. situation.”
“It is. I’m torn between wanting to give him another chance and protecting myself from getting hurt again,” I told him.
He stepped closer, his eyes filled with a warmth that was both friendly and sincere.
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Chapter 103.
“Ultimately, it’s up to you. If he’s truly committed to making things right, maybe you’ll find a way to forgive him.”
His words resonated within me and lifted the weight in my heart. I suppose it really was up to me at this point.
I looked into his eyes and sniffled. “Thank you, Harry.”
He smiled, his hand brushing the air out of my eyes. “You’re welcome, Evie. I think you’re a capable woman.”
When I left the hotel, a sense of unease settled within me. I had tried to prove something–to Timothy, to myself–but in the end, I had only proven that my heart was still tangled up in the past.
The city streets stretched before me, as I walked along the sidewalk. My heels. echoed in the quiet of the night and eventually I grew tired of them. I paused to slip them off before letting them dangle over my fingers, though the temptation to toss them was there.
They would be easy to discard, unlike other things. Other people. It was as if Timothy had latched every fiber of his being into my existence, weaving and knotting every direction of my story until I was forced back toward him. No matter how much I wanted to hate him for what he’d done, I couldn’t bring myself
to do so.
Could I ever break free?
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