Thirty-Five: The Past
The blaring alarm pierced through the silence like a knife.
Ava jolted awake, her heart pounding. She groaned as the shrill beeping continued to assault her ears. Another day, another nightmare. Slamming her hand down on the alarm clock, she squeezed her eyes shut, desperately clinging to the last remnants of sleep.
Two weeks. It had been two weeks since Liam took her on that disastrous date—two weeks since she had seen his stupid, smug face. Good riddance, she thought bitterly. She never wanted to lay eyes on him again.
With a resigned sigh, Ava threw off the covers and shuffled to the bathroom, her body heavy with exhaustion. A break from work would be nice, but idleness was dangerous territory. The less time she had to dwell on the past, the better.