5

Chapter 5

...

Elena POV

I walked faster, my hands clenched so tightly that my palms were turning red. My breathing grew heavier with every step, and I could already feel my eyes beginning to burn.

But...

Don't cry, Elena.

You've suffered enough.

Keep your head up and keep walking.

I repeated those words over and over in my head.

Biting down hard on my lower lip, I fought against the pain that kept crashing into my chest, each blow feeling like a hammer striking my already shattered heart.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Hera glaring at me.

"Such an idiot," she muttered lightly. The words were quiet, but clear enough for me to hear.

And of course, they were meant for me.

She folded her arms across her chest and stared at me with open contempt.

By then, I had already walked past them.

I kept moving, my steps growing faster even as every breath became hotter and more difficult to take.

The sidewalk behind campus was always deserted. There wasn't another soul in sight, and as the wind brushed against my face, the cold air felt like thousands of tiny needles piercing my skin.

And then... My legs suddenly gave out.

I collapsed onto the ground. And for a moment, all I could see were my trembling hands. All I could hear was the harsh sound of my own breathing.

My vision blurred behind the tears filling my eyes, and then, with no one around to see me...

I finally broke.

"Aaah!" A sob tore from my throat as my hands curled into tight fists. My nails dug so deeply into my palms that they broke the skin, but I barely felt it.

My chest felt completely crushed.

My shoulders shook violently, and the pain tearing through me was so overwhelming that I couldn't control myself anymore.

All I could do was cry.

How could it be so easy for him?

How could he kiss another girl like that?

As though the four years we'd spent together had been nothing more than some meaningless little game.

I was the only one who had treasured our relationship... The only one who had believed it meant something.

Why was I so fucking stupid?

Why was I still crying like a fool?

Why did it still hurt so much that I felt like I was being torn apart from the inside?

The tears kept pouring down my cheeks no matter how hard I tried to stop them.

He had humiliated me. He had betrayed me. He had trampled all over my dignity. And yet...

I wasn't over him. Because the pain was still there, vicious and unbearable, and I had no idea how long it would take before I could finally breathe without feeling it.

But...

I wiped the tears from my face.

My legs were still trembling and barely strong enough to support me, but I forced myself back onto my feet.

There I stood... Alone on an empty sidewalk, staring up at the vast blue sky that almost seemed to be mocking me.

"I'm alone now..." My voice trembled. "Crying and hurting like this isn't going to change anything." My fingers tightened around the fabric of my skirt as I gritted my teeth.

"You think I'm going to give up and die?" I threw my head back and shouted at the sky.

"Screw you, fate!"

I didn't know who I was screaming at.

I didn't care.

I just needed to scream. Because I, Elena Swan, wasn't going to give up, I wasn't going to die. And I wasn't going to let myself be destroyed, even if life had never once bothered to give me a choice.

"I'LL SURVIVE THIS!" The scream tore through my throat, leaving it raw and burning.

My chest rose and fell rapidly as I struggled to catch my breath.

I quickly wiped my face again, even though the tears still refused to stop falling.

I had no one now.

I was an orphan... There was no family waiting to catch me when I fell, which meant I didn't have the luxury of sitting here and crying forever.

I couldn't afford to fall apart.

So I started walking again. Faster this time.

I swallowed every trace of bitterness still cutting through my heart and forced my feet to keep moving. Because no matter how badly my heart was breaking... I still had to go to work.

...

A while later...

I arrived at one of my workplaces, a nightclub in the middle of the city.

I quickly washed my face, tied my hair back, and changed into my work clothes in the locker room.

Standing in front of the mirror, I stared at my reflection and forced a smile onto my face. "You can get through this, Elena," I whispered softly. "Even if you have no one, you'll survive." Then I took a deep breath and started my shift.

Luckily, today was Saturday.

Whenever I didn't have classes, I worked part-time at the nightclub on Saturdays and Sundays, washing dishes and cleaning. From Monday to Friday, whenever I had time between classes, I worked at a convenience store near campus.

And that wasn't all.

I would take any job I could find as long as it didn't cross any of my personal boundaries. Even with my scholarship, I still needed money to cover my living expenses. Especially since I'd been stupid enough to spend so much of my hard-earned money supporting that bastard Killian.

"Elena... gorl..." Just as I was about to put on my gloves and start washing a stack of wine glasses, one of the club's waitresses suddenly rushed toward me.

Her hair was slightly curly, and she looked completely exhausted.

"Huh?" My eyes widened.

She was clearly in a hurry. "We're completely slammed out there. The manager wants you to help serve drinks." She said the entire sentence so quickly that it almost sounded like she was rapping.

Then she immediately turned around and hurried away without even waiting for my answer.

"Huh? B-But..." I tried to stop her.

Without turning around, she called over her shoulder just before disappearing through the door. "The manager said you'll get overtime pay!"

My eyes instantly lit up. For a second, I could've sworn my pupils turned into dollar signs.

"Overtime pay..." I immediately put down the gloves I'd been about to wear.

There were very few things I wouldn't do for extra money. Especially now that I didn't even have a place to live... If I helped out enough today, maybe the manager would let me sleep in the storage room for a while.

"Heh!" I clenched my fists in front of me.

"Elena... let's do this!"

For a moment, I felt like Superwoman, like I could take on absolutely anything.

The moment I stepped out into the main area...

"Elena!" One of the club employees immediately waved me over. "Take this to VVIP Room One. Hurry, and come straight back. There are more drinks waiting!"

Before I could even respond, a serving cart loaded with expensive bottles of alcohol was pushed toward me.

Umm...

Uh...

I swallowed hard.

The nightclub was packed tonight.

Music thundered through the building, colorful lights swept across the crowd, and everywhere I looked, people were dancing, drinking, and partying as though they didn't have a single problem in the world.

"VVIP Room One..." I repeated the words under my breath, trying not to forget them.

I was nervous.

This was my first time serving drinks like this.

Still, I forced my feet to keep moving.

When I finally reached VVIP Room One and stepped inside, and my eyes widened because...