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Chapter 16
Chapter 16
With shaky hands, I forced myself up from the bed, my vision still swimming. I glanced around the room, my eyes settling on the heavy vase on the bedside table. Without hesitation, I grabbed it, feeling the cool weight in my hands. My heart pounded in my chest as I stood over Dwight, every second a reminder of the turmoil I was in.
I used to love this man… Now, I don’t think I would cry if he were dead.
I lifted the vase high above my head and brought it down with all my strength.
The impact was sickening. Blood splattered across the sheets as Dwight’s body jerked violently, his hands flying to his head, but it was too late. He let out a gurgling groan before collapsing onto the floor, clutching his head as blood pooled around him.
I stood there, panting, my heart racing, watching as he twitched once, twice, and then lay still–like a fish flopping helplessly on the shore, before falling silent.
For the first time in what felt like years, I breathed freely. This was it. My chance. for freedom.
I didn’t hesitate. I turned, found something to wear, and walked out the door without looking back.
I ran out of the house in a frenzy.
The cold night air hit me like a wall, shocking my skin with a chill that sent shivers down my spine.
punctuated by the soft
Above me, the sky stretched out endlessly, a sea of stars glow of the half–moon. I hadn’t looked up at the sky in so long.
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The Ex flinband’s Regret: 1 Stint to Fighe Ovyenight. After thur Divorce
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Chapter 16
I hadn’t stopped to just be in so long. It was peaceful, but that sense of peace was fleeting. After days of feeling and being trapped, I was finally free, yet the moment that freedom washed over me, a deep confusion took its place.
Where would I go? What would I do?
For five years, I had built my entire world around Dwight. My every thought,
every decision, every step had been dictated by his presence. I hadn’t even
realized it until now, standing in the dark, miles away from that life, with nowhere to go. My family had long stopped expecting me at gatherings. My friends? I couldn’t even remember the last time I called one just to talk. Dwight had consumed everything, like a slow–growing shadow that swallowed the sun.
Now, without him, without that shadow looming over me, I felt small. Lost.
But this wasn’t the time to unravel. I needed somewhere to stay, somewhere warm and safe where I could think.
A hotel would do.
My fingers shook as I pulled my phone out of my pocket, barely managing to look up the nearest hotel. The screen blurred in the cold air, my mind buzzing with static, but I forced myself to focus.
The hotel lobby was quiet when I walked in, save for the gentle hum of a nearby. television playing some late–night news segment. The receptionist, a young woman with dark hair pulled back into a neat bun, looked up and smiled politely. “Good evening, ma’am. May I see your ID, please?”
I froze. I didn’t have my ID. I didn’t have anything, really–just the phone in my hand, and the thin shirt and leggings I’d thrown on in my haste to leave. The realization hit me like a slap, sending a hot wave of embarrassment through me. I didn’t even have a jacket. What was I thinking?
“Ma’am?” The receptionist asked again, her tone a little more concerned now. I swallowed the panic rising in my throat and forced a smile, hoping it didn’t look
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The Ex Husband’s Regret: 1 Shot to the Overnish: After Our Dharce
Chapter 16
as strained as it felt.
“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice wavering slightly. “I’ll check somewhere else.”
I turned and practically fled from the counter, the cold air once again biting into my skin as I stepped outside. My arms instinctively wrapped around myself, trying to retain some semblance of warmth. I was on the verge of shivering, my thoughts racing–where would I go now?
Before I could decide, a deep, resonant voice cut through the stillness of the night. “Sylvia?”
I flinched at the sound of my name and turned toward the source. Standing just a few feet away, partially obscured by the shadows, was a man. His tall frame was draped in a dark trench coat, and the streetlamp behind him cast a faint halo of light around his figure. The wind tousled his hair slightly, making him look like something out of a painting–regal, almost godlike.
I blinked, my heart pounding as I tried to place his face. But it was hard to believe this striking, powerful presence could be anyone I knew.
He stepped closer, his features becoming clearer as he moved into the light. Black, hair framed a sharp, handsome face, and the intensity of his blue eyes sent a jolt through me. He looked familiar, but…
“Sylvia,” he repeated, his voice softening into something warmer, more intimate. “What are you doing out here like this? You’ll catch a cold.”
I frowned, struggling to place him. “You’re ”
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