Elaine stared at herself in the mirror, twisting her hair into a messy bun, but she hated the reflection staring back. Pale, restless, dark circles etched beneath her eyes, a nervous twitch in her jaw. The Elaine looking back at her was a stranger. Theresa sprawled across the bed beside her, flicking through her phone, humming a hip hop beat like the night ahead was no big deal. “Come on, stop overthinking,” Theresa said, slipping on a black leather jacket with effortless confidence. “We’re going out tonight. You’re going to drink, dance, and forget you’ve ever heard of… life for a few hours.” Elaine tried to smile, but it felt brittle, forced. “I don’t know if I can forget,” she admitted, voice small. Theresa raised an eyebrow, half-amused, half-stern. “Honey, if you don’t forget tonight, you’ll be miserable tomorrow. And misery looks awful on you.” Elaine nodded, chest heavy with a cocktail of guilt, anxiety, and lingering adrenaline from the cruise. It wasn’t just the reckle
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