Chapter 102

I’ve been down here for the best part of an hour, not as drunk as I want to be despite downing a few, but I cannot shake this awful soul-destroying agony in my chest. I don’t let the tears fall, knowing the mess they will make of my face and make me look pathetic. Instead, I do what I do best; I lift that chin, push the pain down behind the block of ice that is now lodged in my heart, and swear I will never say his name again.

I don’t need him.

I find some of his friends down here, dance like my feet are burning, paste on my party face and revert to Sophie of the city. The one who spent two years coping with her heartbreak alone. Able to function while a black hole overtakes my soul, smiling and acting as if nothing fazes me. I chat to people I recognize and run into a few faces I know. A good little act at being okay while the mirrored glass wall above my head conceals the man who’s taken another huge dump on my heart.

Pushing through the crowd to make my way to t