Jossy carefully tipped the glass in her hands as she let the last of her gin cocktail down her throat.Third drink? Fourth? She had stopped counting. He wasn't here, and tonight, she was free. She can do whatever she wants.
Damien was miles away on a business trip, probably somewhere in a meeting right now, flashing his perfect smile across a polished table. Normally, he would have wanted her there too, sitting quietly at his side, nothing more than an accessory, making him look and feel good. Or worse, he would have wanted her to stay locked up at home with strict instructions on how to behave until he returned.
But tonight..tonight he was away, alone, and for the first time in months, she felt something close to freedom.
Still, his voice clung to her thoughts.
Don't slouch. Don't drink so much. Don't embarrass me, Jossy.
Even in his absence, he lingered like a stain she couldn't wash off.
Jossy didn't want to think about him. Not tonight. She signaled for another drink, the bartender giving her a quick nod. What did it matter? Tomorrow she will return to her castle. The life so many envied. The life that felt like a cage.
Her eyes wandered to the several bottles lined up behind the bar, but her mind drifted back..back to the night Damien proposed. It was the most perfect proposal.. A rooftop dinner in the city, candlelight, and her favorite song, "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley, playing softly in the background. When he slipped the diamond ring onto her finger, she thought her life was beginning. Her friends screamed with excitement, her parents beamed because she had found the perfect man, and strangers looked at her with envy.
The wedding itself was even grander,with exquisite decor, and her dress like something straight from a fairy tale. A Cinderella story, many, especially the media called it. She was the luckiest girl, marrying The Damien Rothwell at just Twenty Two.
Only no one knew. No one saw the cracks behind the photos, the smiles,and the headlines. No one saw her crying in the bathroom, her hands trembling as she pressed them against her face, asking herself if she had made a mistake. No one knew that just six months into their marriage, each time Damien's arm wrapped heavy over her waist, a part of her had wanted to run. Now, two years in the marriage, she sat here, at just twenty four, with her life already feeling like an old lost dream. If only she could go back.
She laughed under her breath, bitter and empty. To the world, she was still the perfect wife. Inside, she was crumbling.
Just then, a shadow interrupted Jossy's thoughts.