You're hurting me
Dora’s pov
I had been lying in bed all day, staring at the ceiling, lost in my thoughts. The weight of my divorce was crushing me, making it hard to breathe since I met my Sadie with her husband at the park. Their love felt like something out of a blissful romance novel. I barely ate, barely slept. It felt like I was sinking, and I didn’t have the strength to fight it anymore. Then Sienna barged in.
"Get up," she said, pulling the covers off me.
"Leave me alone," I mumbled, turning away from her.
"Not happening," she said, hands on her hips. "You're coming to the club with me."
I scoffed. "I don’t feel like it and you know I don’t like to."
"Exactly why you need to go." She walked over to my closet, flipping through my clothes. "You’ve been like this for days, Dora. Enough is enough. You needed to shake this divorce out of you completely. This is no man that is not replaceable.”
I sighed, rubbing my temples. "I just…"
"Nope. No excuses," she cut me off. "Wear this." She tossed a dress onto the bed. It was short. Way too short.
"You’re kidding, right?”
"Is your ex husband still here to monitor what you put on? You’ll look stunning. Now get dressed. You have your own life to yourself.”
Reluctantly, I changed, tugging at the hem of the dress as I looked at myself in the mirror. Sienna had also made me put on bold red lipstick, which felt like a mask hiding how I really felt inside. When we stepped outside, the cold night air hit me, but it did nothing to cool the anxiety bubbling in my chest. "Where’s your car?" I asked, dreading the idea of waiting too long in public.
"In servicing," she said with a shrug. "We’re taking a cab."
I nodded, eager to get out of sight. When a taxi pulled up, I practically threw myself inside. As I rubbed at my lipstick, trying to tone it down, Sienna smacked my hand away.
"Oh no, you don’t. You look hot. Own it."
"Remind me why we're friends again?" I muttered.
She grinned. "Because you begged me to be."
I scoffed. "Lies."
She just laughed, and before I knew it, we were pulling up in front of the club.
The place was alive with neon lights, a sea of expensive cars parked outside. The crowd was young, too young. Some were already making out in dark corners, others waiting in groups. I suddenly felt out of place, even though I was only in my mid-twenties. But as we stepped inside, my perception shifted. The club was packed. The first floor was filled with dancing bodies, while the upper level had booths where men in suits sat in groups, either talking business or entertaining guests. The air was thick with music, laughter, and the sharp scent of alcohol. It was overwhelming. I felt exposed. If I thought my dress was too much before, it felt modest compared to the barely-there outfits around me. I kept breathing hard, wanting to turn around and leave, but Sienna grabbed my wrist.
"Let’s go to the bar," she shouted over the music. "Best view of the place."
"I don’t drink," I reminded her.
"And I never asked you to."
With a sigh, I followed her, pushing through the crowd. We ordered mocktails, and while Sienna happily chatted about the men around us, I sat there, lost in thought. The flashing lights, the music, the energy, it all felt like another world, one I didn’t belong to. I twirled my glass, fidgeting with the hem of my dress. My mind kept drifting back to him. Austin. My possessive, jealous, impossible ex-husband. He would have hated this. Hated me in this dress, surrounded by men who dared to look at me. Would he see me like this? Would he be angry? Would he even care? I pulled at my dress again, anxiety gradually popping in my heart. Sienna noticed and leaned in close.
"I swear, if you don’t stop that, I’ll give your number to some random guy."
I snapped my head up. "You wouldn’t."
She smirked. "Try me."
I sighed, letting go of the fabric. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that, somehow, somewhere, Austin was watching. And if he was… he wouldn’t be happy. I stared at my drink, the ice slowly melting as I held the glass between my fingers. My mind was far away, drowning in memories I wished I could forget.
"Dora, you have to let him go," Sienna’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
I turned to her, forcing a small smile, though I knew she could see the sadness behind it. Sienna had been my friend since college, the only one who truly knew what I had endured in my marriage with Austin.
"He already left me," I said, swallowing the lump in my throat. "What else can I do?"
Before she could answer, I tilted my head back and downed the drink in one gulp. The burn in my throat was nothing compared to the fire of betrayal that still smoldered inside me.
"Let’s dance!" I announced, trying to shake off the emotions threatening to drown me.
Sienna rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. She knew this was my way of escaping. We moved onto the dance floor as the DJ blasted a trance beat. At first, I hesitated, but soon the music wrapped around me, pulling me in. I let my body move, swaying to the rhythm, losing myself in the beat. My hips rolled, my arms lifted, and for a moment, I felt free. Eyes were on me, I could feel them, but I didn’t care. This was my escape. Then the memories hit me, one by one, like echoes in my mind.
“Please, Austin, don’t leave me.”
His laugh was cold. “Don’t make me laugh, Dora.”
“I’ll do anything. Just please, don’t go.”
His gaze was cruel as his words cut through me like a blade. “Then get rid of the baby.”
The club suddenly felt too small. I clenched my fists, pushing the memory away. But before I could fully shake it off, a loud crash echoed from the bar area. The music died, replaced by angry voices and the sound of breaking glass. I snapped my eyes open, my heart pounding. Sienna looked just as confused as I was. The crowd was gathering near the railing that separated the dance floor from the bar. People were whispering, some holding up their phones to record.
I pushed through the mass of bodies, my pulse racing. The sound of fists meeting flesh filled the air. A man was crouched over another, gripping his collar, throwing punch after punch. Several people were trying to pull him away, but he fought them off like a man possessed.
And then Ii heard.
"Son of a bitch, you dare? She is my wife!”
A chill ran down my spine. My breath shuddered. I knew that voice. Even after two years, I knew it too well.
Austin.
My body went cold as I locked eyes with him. His furious gaze burned into me, wild and unrelenting. He shoved the men holding him away like they were nothing. The moment he took a step toward me, my legs turned weak. I would’ve collapsed if Sienna hadn’t grabbed my arm.
I needed to run. Why was he here? Why didn’t he attend the court hearing today if he was in the city?
My instincts screamed at me to move, and this time, I listened. I pushed through the crowd blindly, my heart hammering against my ribs. I didn’t stop until I found myself in the restroom, gripping the sink, staring at my reflection. A broken woman looked back at me, wide, terrified eyes, trembling hands, tear-streaked cheeks. I hadn’t even realized I was crying.
Get it together, Dora. He can’t hurt you anymore. A sudden shriek jolted me back to reality.
"Who the fuck are you?! This is the women’s restroom, asshole!"
Before I could react, a strong hand grabbed my forearm. My breath hitched as I turned, and came face to face with Austin. My heart nearly stopped. His dark eyes scanned me from head to toe, his jaw tightening when he noticed my dress. His nostrils flared, his grip tightening.
"What the fuck are you wearing?" His voice was loud.
"Austin, let go," I whispered, "You're hurting me."
He didn’t loosen his grip. If anything, it tightened. The murmurs and protests from the other women in the restroom were distant. The only thing I could focus on was the man in front of me, the man I had once loved, the man who had broken me, and the man who still had the power to terrify me.
Before I could process what was happening, he yanked me out of the restroom, dragging me through the club as if I still belonged to him. I wasn’t sure whether to fight him or surrender to the fear that had never really left me.
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