#Chapter 51: Another

Ava I stumbled through the front door of my cottage, slamming it shut behind me with a resounding thud that reverberated through the walls. Tears stung my eyes and streamed freely down my cheeks, searing hot trails of shame and humiliation that showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. Repulsive. Hag. Witch. Olivia’s cruel words whirled relentlessly through my mind, ricocheting off the inner walls of my skull until that was all I could hear. How had things gone so wrong, so quickly? Only moments before Olivia appeared, everything had seemed… good. Hopeful, even. And then, just like that, she had shown up and ruined everything. I sank down onto the edge of the armchair in the living room, burying my face in my hands as I drew in a shuddering breath. My scalp still throbbed from where Olivia had wrenched my hair. For the second time, this woman who I had once called my friend had become violent with me. But the physical pain meant nothing compared to the pain caused by her