Lorraine sat shivering, her lips taking on a bluish tint. She willed herself to move, but exhaustion pinned her in place.
Then the PA system crackled to life, announcing the unexpected early closure
Shoppers exchanged confused glances but complied, streaming toward the exits.
Within minutes, the dazzling expanse that had pulsed with life moments before dissolved into darkness.
Lorraine stood by the roadside, the icy wind cutting through her dress, stealing her last traces of warmth.
She stomped her numb feet and checked her wallet again–just $25.5.
Her school dorms were shut for winter break, and she had nowhere to go,
go, no one to turn to.
Hugging herself tight, she kept waiting for the bus. But today was one of those days where nothing went right. But after bus blew past her, indifferent. She darted into the street, waving frantically, but the drivers didn’t even glance her way.
It was absurd. Even the empty buses refused to stop.
The wind screamed around her, gnawing at her bones. By the time the last bus of the night finally pulled over, she was hall frozen.
Lorraine shivered, fumbling in her pocket for coins as she stepped toward the bus.
Just then, the driver answered a call–and his face went pale, as if he’d seen a ghost “No passengers! Get out!” he barked, waving her off.
She stared at him. “But… the bus is empty,” she said, her voice wavering.
“Empty or not, no one’s getting on!” With a roar of the engine, he sped away.
Lorraine stood alone in the knife–edged wind, her silhouette shrinking with each passing minute. She stood there, stunned, unable to understand why every bus had refused her.
Exhausted and hungry, she sank to the roadside, gazing blankly at the sky. 5
She felt like a lost stray, utterly helpless.
Without Stephen, she had nothing–no plan, no destination, no idea where her next meal would come from, or where she’d sleep tonight.
Lorraine’s thoughts were tangled, her confidence frayed. She had believed herself ready for anything, but now, faced with the unknown, she felt utterly unprepared. The pressure of it all bore down on her, and the blinked back tears.
The sudden screech of brakes snapped Lorraine from her thoughts. She looked up, wiping at her damp eyes as the silhouette of a black Bentley stopped inches from her. Its polished frame was imposing against the dim evening light.
The driver stepped out and opened the back door. Eugene climbed out, his perfectly fitted suit hugging his tall frame. Even in the dim streetlight, his sharp face looked calm but commanding.
Lorraine’s breath caught as she spotted him, the man she blamed for ruining her life. As he drew nearer, her tears dried up, and her expression hardened
into stubborn defiance.
She bit her lip, bowed her head, and buried her face in her arms, refusing to look at him.
Eugene halted a few paces away. His deep voice sliced through the frigid air. “Go home,” he grdered.
Lorraine almost couldn’t believe her ears. Too frozen to even laugh bitterly, she just stood there, numb.
“Home? What home? My husband’s gone, and his folks won’t pick up the phone. I’ve got nothing left. And now the bastard who wrecked my life has the nerve to tell me to go home? What a joke,’ she thought, sneering inwardly.
12
Chapte S
motionless, cited into her
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