The rain had deepened by the time she got home. The city was glazed in wet reflection, gold and red smearing across sidewalks like brushstrokes on glass. Victoria stood at her window, arms crossed, the hum of storm-dimmed traffic in the distance doing nothing to quiet the echo of Blair’s voice in her mind.
Dinner had been more than she bargained for.
The rooftop café had shimmered with its usual elegance, linen-draped tables, gold cutlery, quiet music that made everything feel effortless. But it was the wine that did the work tonight. Blair had already been on her second glass when Victoria sat down. By the third, she wasn’t posturing anymore. She was unraveling.
“She didn’t deserve him,” she’d muttered as the third glass started to loosen her composure. “She just stood there. Always wa
