CHAPTER 101 LONELY DAYS

CHAPTER 101 The silence was deafening. Each passing day brought with it the rising stench of stale alcohol and dried tears, the occasional thud of an empty bottle hitting the floor. Claire’s apartment had become a prison of her own making, the darkness within mirroring the despair in her heart. Ethan’s absence weighed heavily on her, but Claire’s pride wouldn’t let her reach out. She couldn’t bring herself to contact him. Each time she thought about dialing his number, a fresh wave of anger and humiliation rolled over her, drowning out any thoughts of reconciliation. She knew she had wronged him. But she had never thought that Ethan would abandon her in the hospital after an attack on her life. It took a week before she could get herself, before she could stop drowning in the arms of alcohol. Emily was away. She couldn’t let her daughter see her this way. How would she explain Ethan’s absense from their lives? Emily had grown so fond of Ethan. With newfound determination, she took