ROSALINE

The morning light filtering through the curtains felt harsh against my tired eyes as I slowly stirred awake in Ava's guest room. My heart felt heavy in my chest as the events of the previous day flooded back into my mind. I thought I had escaped waking up with a heavy heart, but it was an illusion.

I felt the exhaust weigh on me, breaking into my bones so hard that I'd rather sleep there and waste away than move a muscle. Gerald's name rang in my head like a nightmare, each memory weighing me down, alongside the toe-curling melancholy.

I still gave him the benefit of the doubt....