The steam rose from the glass shower and fogged the mirrors over the double vanity. The mist collapsed, creating tears that slid down the slippery mirrored surface. This was her place of retreat, her magical, relaxing getaway that she used to cope when life dealt her painful blows. She spent more time in her bathroom than any other room in her condo. The past six months had been beyond crazy, to say the least. She spent the last thirty days drowning her misery in the bottom of several bottles of Mascato, and now she had nowhere left to run.
She let her body go limp, and slid down the small glass tiles of her shower wall, mentally exhausted. The water moved through her long brown and blonde hair, reverting back to its natural curly form. She breathed in, and then exhaled heavily, forcing the water from her lips to fly across the shower stall. Tears mixed with water, flowing from her eyes with each blink, as she pulled her soaking wet her hair off her face. Forcing herself to stand up, she slowly exhaled, planting a vague smile on her face.
Tonight was one of her closest friend’s events, a White Ball. The invite came in the mail over six months ago. She was excited to attend when she received the invite. But now she was not mentally ready to go out and face the press, her friends, or business associates that would surely be in attendance. But her good friend, Vito called and said he was not going to allow her to sit this event out. He let her know a limo would be picking her up in about an hour, and she needed to be ready.
She was trapped.
She had to go.
“What am I going to do if he is there?” she mumbled aloud. “I hate myself for the way I treated him.”
She turned off the water, and stepped out of the shower onto the brown bath rug just outside the shower stall. She reached for her plush oversized leopard print bath towel, quickly dried her hair and then wrapped her curvaceous body in it. Her body was trembling, as reached up and wiped the mirror with her hand, revealing her distressed reflection. Standing still for a moment staring at herself, warm tears began to flow down her cheeks, free falling through the air, into the sink basin below.
“I’m such a baby,” she revealed wiping her face. “How could I have been so stupid, so blind? Why didn’t I listen?!”
Taking one last look at her reflection, cold droplets began to fall from her curly locks down her back. She reached for a second towel and wrapped her hair in it, before leaving her bathroom.
Walking into her adjoining master bedroom she sat on the edge of her wooden, four-poster, canopy bed and scanned the barely lit room. Lying on her bed were two white garment bags containing gowns. One she had just purchased a few months prior. The other a dress she received as a gift. She allowed her body fall backwards on the bed, and released a loud sigh as her body met the leopard print comforter.
Six months ago, she would never have believed that today, on the evening of the city’s biggest event, she’d be this distraught. She never would have thought she’d ever treat Qu the way she did. Six months ago she was on top of the world. Her career was on a fast track to the top. She had great friends around her that she trusted and who loved her. Most importantly, all her secrets were safely hidden in her mind and now… now everything was upside down.
Conceding to the fact that she had no choice, she rose up from the bed with a heavy sigh. She dragged her feet across the floor, over to her dresser and pulled out the undergarments then turned knowing she had a difficult decision to make…
Picking which dress to wear.
It was Showtime.
I’m Late… Shoot I’m always late.
(Six months earlier)
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