Aurora's POV
I drove back to my apartment in a daze, the luxury car feeling like a cage. I stayed inside all day with the curtains drawn, watching the clock tick. Every minute felt like a heartbeat closer to the end of my life as I knew it.
When it was past six, I finally moved. I dressed in the simplest black dress I owned, my skin still buzzing from the ghost of Oliver's touch. As I walked to the car, my phone buzzed.
Raymond: Meet me in my private room. Don't use the main entrance.
I swallowed hard, my throat feeling like it was filled with dry sand. I drove to the club, the neon lights of the city blurring into streaks of red and blue. I parked in the back alley and slipped inside. The familiar scent of expensive gin and heavy perfume hit me, but it felt different tonight. It felt like the smell of a trap.
Clara was behind the bar, polishing a glass. She looked up, and her eyes widened. "Aurora? I thought you were done with this place."
