Sudden Distance

Zara

I walked straight to the door, my heels clicking soft against the floor of the hotel lobby. I did not look back at Valerie, not even once. In my mind I kept repeating the same thing over and over. I came here to prove I wasn't afraid of her, and I had done exactly that. Whatever she did next was no longer my problem to carry.

Outside, the evening air had become very cool, and I wrapped my arm