Chapter 2. Broken Vows, Broken Dreams

AURORA'S POV 

The door clicked shut behind the two men. They hurried to a black car parked across the street, jumped in, and sped away, heading back to wherever they belonged.  

I climbed the stairs to my sister’s apartment slowly. I had been living with Annabelle ever since Thomas disappeared seven months ago. My hands trembled as I slid the key into the lock and pushed the door open. I didn’t pay rent. Annabelle thought Thomas had taken the money we saved for a house and run off. She was right about that. What she didn’t know was that he had also gambled away all of my savings at an illegal casino, leaving me drowning in debt.  

“Aurora? Seriously? It’s pouring out there,” Annabelle said, rubbing her eyes and stretching out on the couch. She was wearing an oversized T shirt, watching a Korean drama on TV. A bag of peanut butter pretzels rested on her stomach. She looked so calm and relaxed, and for a moment, I felt jealous. She didn’t have to scrape by every week, working a humiliating job in a rundown club in South Boston. She didn’t have to deal with Peter’s hand brushing against hers, his cheap cologne lingering for days and making her sick. She didn’t lie awake at night, terrified of what her future might hold.  

I hung up my ripped jacket by the door. Annabelle’s apartment was small but cozy and full of personality. Wooden floors, trendy palm tree wallpaper, a green-painted ceiling, and mismatched furniture that somehow looked perfect together. Every part of it reflected who she was. We even shared her tiny twin bed.  

“Sorry. One of my student’s parents was at a drive-in and lost track of time. I didn’t even know drive-ins were still around. Did you?” I slipped off my worn shoes, forcing a smile to hide the exhaustion creeping over me. Some days, I thought about doing what Thomas did. He just left and disappeared without a word. But I couldn’t do that. My family, my friends, my whole life was here. I was stuck.  

Thomas didn’t have those ties. He had been raised by his grandmother, shuffled between distant relatives when things got hard. That’s what he told me when we first met, and I had felt sorry for him.  

“Drive ins? Yeah, I went on a few fun dates to the Solano drive-in,” Annabelle said, wiggling her toes under a blanket. “But in this rain? I don’t think they’d see much. You should’ve called me. I would’ve picked you up. It’s my night off, you know.”  

That was exactly why I hadn’t called her. She deserved to rest.  

“You already do so much for me,” I said.  

“That’s because Thomas screwed you over. Why did you even marry him?”  

“For love,” I sighed, sinking onto the couch beside her and resting my head on her shoulder. “I thought I was doing the right thing.”  

Back in college, Annabelle, Sandy, Ariella, and I made a pact to marry only for love. Sandy went first, marrying a man who adored her and had more money than he knew what to do with.  

Then it was my turn. A few stolen kisses, and I thought I had found the one. Thomas told me he was just a bouncer at one of Peter’s bars and promised to get a better job soon. But he never even tried. He liked working for Peter, liked gambling away whatever money he made. By the time I realized the truth, it was too late. Thomas wasn’t a simple bouncer—he hurt people for money. His criminal record was longer than I ever could have imagined.  

I never told Annabelle, Ariella, or Sandy. They all thought Thomas was perfect, just like they adored Sandy’s husband, Henry. I didn’t want to ruin their image of him. Was it stupid? Yes. But I had believed in him. I thought love would be enough.  

Thomas hadn’t always been bad. In the beginning, he was sweet, funny, thoughtful. He left me love notes, packed my lunches, sent flowers just because, and surprised me with trips to Disney World. We’d drive down to Florida in his old car, eating cheap snacks and singing along to my favorite songs.  

He painted my parents’ house for free before they sold it. Spent every last cent on my engagement ring. Always showed up when I needed him.  

Until he didn’t.  

I thought I could change him. I thought love could fix him.  

But love wasn’t enough to cure his addiction.  

“You still believe in that stuff?” Annabelle held out the bag of pretzels, pulling me from my thoughts.  

“In what?” I asked, grabbing one and chewing slowly, even though I couldn’t taste it. I had lost so much weight, I barely recognized myself in the mirror. Thomas’s mess had become mine, and it was eating me alive.  

“Love,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Do you still believe in love after everything he put you through?”  

“Yeah,” I admitted, my cheeks warming. I forced out a small laugh. “Pretty sad, huh?”  

She patted my leg. “Want to talk about it?”  

I shook my head.  

“Want to drink about it?”  

I nodded, and she laughed.  

“I’ll heat up some pizza too.”  

The thought of food made my stomach twist, but I knew Annabelle was watching me. She had noticed how thin I had gotten, how tired I always looked.  

“Pizza sounds great. Thanks,” I said.  

She got up and walked into the tiny kitchen. I watched her open the fridge, swaying her hips as she hummed a song completely off-key.  

“Annabelle?” I said, clearing my throat.  

“What?” She slid a slice of pizza into the microwave.  

“What am I supposed to do about Thomas?” I pulled a pillow into my lap, fidgeting with a loose thread. “I can’t stay married to him forever, right?”  

Annabelle grabbed a soda from the fridge, tapping her finger against her lips as she thought.  

“Well, marriage isn’t like a bus stop,” she said. “You can’t just get up and walk away. But you can end it if you want to. He’s been gone almost a year. You need to save up, hire a lawyer, and move on.”  

The thought of paying for a lawyer was almost laughable. I had nothing.  

“You’re going to have to deal with it sooner or later,” Annabelle said, her voice softer now. “Find legal help. End things with that bastard for good and make him pay.”