Chapter 9. Everything's Different

Ellie's POV

It's that hour! That awful hour marked the beginning of a new year in my life.

Today is not like other years when I delighted in the thrill and bliss of bringing in the new year as I watched the clock tick by. Everything contradicts what I've experienced on past birthdays. Everything seemed to have changed. Even the sound of the clock does not capture today's mood.

The sound of dread and nervousness is ticking inside. That sound irritates my ears and causes me much distress. I am more convinced of the sound of the clock and everything else ringing around me, unlike Crystal Gyle, who was unsure in her jazz version of Sounds of Goodbye, which is currently playing on television. I love that jazz, but it's not helping me tonight.

With my troubled soul, I crouch down on the seat and reflect on my opulent yet pathetic existence. Apparently, money is not everything, as they claim. They freaking lied for fuck’s sake! If this freaking exis