The last drink
1426 Words
Chapter 2 — Last Drink
Rose left the house without knowing where her feet were taking her.
The cold night air brushed against her skin, but it did nothing to cool the storm inside her chest. Every breath felt uneven, tangled somewhere between anger and heartbreak. Jane’s voice kept replaying in her head.
“This marriage was already over.”
As if three years could be dismissed that easily.
As if love could be folded away like old clothes and replaced without consequence.
Rose laughed bitterly to herself as she stepped onto the sidewalk, wiping at her face with trembling fingers. Her mascara had smudged beneath her eyes, but she no longer cared enough to fix it.
Nothing felt worth fixing anymore.
She pulled out her phone and dialed Mara before she could change her mind.
The call barely rang once.
“Rose?”
“Meet me at the bar,” Rose whispered, her voice cracking. “Please.”
There was immediate concern on the other end. “What happened?”
Rose closed her eyes tightly. “I signed them.”
Silence.
Then Mara cursed softly under her breath. “I’m already leaving. Stay there. Don’t disappear on me tonight.”
Rose almost laughed at that.
Don’t disappear on me.
If only someone had said that sooner.
A cab stopped in front of her. She slid into the backseat quietly, pressing her forehead against the cool glass as the city lights blurred past her eyes.
Everything hurt.
Not just the betrayal.
Not just James.
Everything.
The years she had spent shrinking herself inside that marriage replayed painfully in her head. Every canceled meeting. Every ignored sketchbook. Every opportunity she promised herself she would return to later.
Later never came.
She thought about the girl she used to be—the one who stood confidently backstage at fashion shows with pins between her lips and fabric draped over her shoulders. That girl had dreams loud enough to fill entire rooms.
What happened to her?
When did she become a woman who begged silently to be loved correctly?
Rose swallowed hard.
Maybe it was her fault.
Maybe she had made herself too easy to forget.
Too patient. Too available. Too willing to sacrifice.
James had not stolen her dreams overnight.
She had handed them over herself, piece by piece, calling it love each time.
By the time she reached the bar, Mara was already waiting outside.
The moment she saw Rose step out of the cab, her expression changed completely.
“Oh, Rose…”
Rose tried to smile.
Instead, her face crumbled.
Mara immediately wrapped both arms around her. “Hey. Hey. I’ve got you.”
Rose clung to her tightly, like she needed something solid to stop herself from falling apart completely.
“It’s over,” she whispered shakily.
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.” Rose pulled away suddenly, eyes glassy. “You didn’t see them, Mara.” Her voice cracked violently. “You didn’t see how they looked at me.”
Mara’s jaw tightened instantly. “James?”
“And Jane.” Rose laughed bitterly. “Jane.” She shook her head like she still couldn’t believe it. “My own step-sister.”
“What exactly happened?”
Rose stared at her for a second before speaking.
“I walked into my bedroom,” she said quietly. “And she was there.”
Mara froze.
Rose let out a broken laugh. “She was sitting on my bed like she belonged there.” Her voice trembled harder now. “And he didn’t even look guilty.”
“Oh my God…”
“He looked annoyed,” Rose whispered. “Like I interrupted something.”
Mara’s face darkened immediately. “I swear to God, if I ever see either of them—”
“And she smiled at me.” Rose cut her off, her eyes filling again. “Do you understand how sick that is? She smiled at me, Mara.”
Mara grabbed her hand tightly and led her inside before she could break down completely.
The familiar warmth of the bar wrapped around them instantly—low music, dim lighting, glasses clinking softly in the background.
Normally Rose liked places like this.
Tonight she only wanted something strong enough to drown the noise inside her head.
“Whiskey,” she told the bartender immediately.
Mara glanced at her carefully. “Maybe water first?”
Rose looked at her.
“I said whiskey.”
The bartender awkwardly poured the drink.
Rose swallowed it almost instantly.
The burn hit her throat hard, but she welcomed it. It hurt differently than heartbreak.
Mara stayed quiet for a moment before finally asking softly, “Did he say anything at all?”
Rose laughed sharply. “You know what he said?” She leaned back against the booth. “‘Everything’s already arranged.’”
Mara stared at her in disbelief. “He said that?”
“Like we were discussing furniture.” Rose’s laugh turned bitter again. “Three years together and that’s all I got.”
“That man is trash.”
“I kept thinking it was me.” Rose stared into her glass. “Every late night. Every distant conversation. Every time he touched his phone and turned the screen away.” She swallowed hard. “I thought maybe I wasn’t trying hard enough.”
“Rose—”
“No, listen.” Her voice cracked. “I gave up everything for him.” She looked up finally, eyes burning. “My career. My name. My dreams.” Her jaw tightened painfully. “I stopped designing, Mara.”
“I know.”
“No, I don’t think you do.” Rose shook her head. “Designing was my whole life. And I let it go because I thought loving him mattered more.”
Mara’s expression softened immediately.
“He didn’t deserve that sacrifice.”
“But I gave it anyway.” Rose laughed weakly. “God, I sound pathetic.”
“You sound heartbroken.”
Another drink arrived.
Then another.
The hours blurred around them slowly.
At some point Rose stopped caring who was listening.
“She knew everything about me,” Rose whispered at one point. “Jane knew how much I loved him.” Her voice shook again. “She sat with me while I cried over that marriage. She comforted me while sleeping with my husband.”
Mara cursed under her breath.
“I keep replaying everything,” Rose admitted quietly. “All the signs were there.” She looked down at her trembling hands. “And I still trusted them.”
“You trusted people who were supposed to love you,” Mara said firmly. “That is not your shame to carry.”
Rose looked at her silently.
Then she whispered, “I hate him.”
“Good.”
“And I hate her more for pretending.” Rose’s eyes filled again. “She acted like she cared about me all this time.”
“She’s miserable inside. Women like that always are.”
Rose laughed weakly. “You always say dramatic things when you’re angry.”
“And I mean every word.”
For the first time all night, Rose smiled a little.
It disappeared quickly, but Mara noticed it anyway.
“There she is,” Mara murmured softly.
Much later, the bar became quieter.
Mara had eventually fallen asleep against the booth after answering one too many worried calls from her mother.
Rose sat there alone for a while, staring at the melting ice inside her glass.
Everything in her life had changed in one night.
Strangely, the world outside kept moving like nothing had happened at all.
Rose finally stood slowly, grabbing her purse.
She looked once at her sleeping friend and smiled faintly.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Then she stepped outside.
The night air hit her immediately.
Cool.
Silent.
Empty.
Rose began walking down the street without thinking too much about where she was going. Her heels clicked softly against the pavement as the alcohol and heartbreak swirled together inside her chest.
Her mind replayed everything again.
James’s expressionless face.
Jane’s smile.
The divorce papers.
The humiliation.
The betrayal.
She felt anger rise again suddenly, sharp enough to make her chest tighten.
“I loved you,” she whispered into the empty street, tears slipping down her face again. “I really loved you.”
Headlights appeared too fast.
A horn blared loudly.
Rose turned instinctively—
—and the world went black.
- Writer
