Chasing Elara

“I don’t recognize you.” I whispered. “Look woman, we’ve both had a long evening and I have an early start tomorrow. You need to quit this drama, get your shit together and let me have some peace of mind.”Sabastine didn't see anything wrong with any of the things he had said and it had me wondering when my husband had transformed into a total stranger. I turned away before he could see me break.In the room, I shut the door and slid down against it, pressing my hand to my mouth as my body shook. Finally, I let all the emotions from this evening translate into tears and stream down my face. I was tired of being strong. Tired of fighting.I stayed there longer than I realized. But when my phone vibrated, I managed to push myself off the ground and get it…It was an app notification from flo. At first, I thought it was something casual until my eyes fell on the words written in italics.Period is five days late.My eyes froze on my screen and my breath choked in my throat.“No, no. No

The bath had run too long, and the water had gone lukewarm, but I didn’t care. Steam curled around me, warm and comforting, yet it couldn’t soothe the gnawing pit in my stomach. “I don’t want to do this.” I whispered to the empty bathroom. I had another job interview but it felt like just another chance to remind myself that I was a failure. I had gone to dozens of them since arriving in Sydney, countless rejections backed with polite “we’re sorry, you’re not qualified or we would get back to you” letters that left me feeling like trash. And now I was supposed to hope that this one would be different. I sighed and leaned back against the edge of the tub. The thought of leaving the bath and facing the world made my chest tighten.“El! I left your coffee on the counter. You better hurry, or you’ll miss your chance!” Anna’s cheerful voice floated from the door. I groaned, letting the warmth soak me a little longer. “I don’t know if I can, Anna… I’ve tried so many times. I’m tired