12 Chapter 12: Ready, Steady, Heartache

Their eyes had met for a brief moment upon his arrival. However, once he recognized her, he quickly averted his eyes to Holly.

Then, he turned to the women, who had straightened their backs and planted innocent smiles on their fox-like faces.

Conniving and cunning women, Samantha thought. How had she ever survived once in this sort of society?

And then, the thought struck her like a bittersweet thing: she had not survived. Not unscathed, at least.

Some days, it felt like the fire of their hatred still licked at her.

She stared at Richard for what felt like forever. But he was not staring back at her.

She thought, in that moment, that, if she could somehow manage to look at herself from outside of her own body, she must have looked like an idiot.

Drenched in red wine dripping down her chest and strands of hair covering her face from being wrenched so forcefully by the two men now standing away from her, she knew she looked the epitome of chaos incarnate.