Chapter Twenty-Four

Ava.

I walked out the restaurant, my head bowed in shame, tears running down my face and my heart clenched in unfathomable pain. I could hardly breathe with all the emotions running into me at once, from pain to anger to sadness and back to embarrassment. 

I walked back under the blazing sun, glancing briefly at my watch to see it was almost four already. I had to be at the club at five. 

But standing outside the restaurant, the building towering behind me, I couldn't find it in me to move another inch. Everything was weighing down on my shoulders and it was getting harder to stay standing. 

I glanced down at the money peeking out of my purse. It was almost five thousand dollars from my rough counting. It was enough to get Avery her violin at least, a smile almost brok