F I F T Y

The parking lot was quiet, dark in the early hours of the morning as a small cluster of women filed out of the metal doors of SubTerra, under the watchful gaze of Elford and one of Simon’s new hires. Anja and Zoe walked together, tugging their long coats tightly around themselves as the air nipped at their bare legs.“Was it just me or did Danny fucking reek tonight?” Anja scrunched her nose, rustling through her handbag to retrieve her vape. She sucked in a long draw, a fruity cloud of smoke hiding the amusement tinging her eyes.Zoe laughed, shaking her shoulders dramatically. “He has to have eaten raw fish fresh from the dock.”“Fish is good for you, you know,” Anja mimicked Danny’s gruff voice, Zoe erupting into a fit of giggles. “Omega-3 and all that shit, ya’know. Keeps the brain ticking.”“You got the lecture too?” Zoe laughed, shaking her head as she ran her fingers through her hair. “I was stuck at his table for like ten minutes listening to it.”Anja opened her mouth to spea

F I F T Y - O N E

With her mind humming, a tornado of thoughts hurtling against the confines of her skull, Zoe pressed her foot on the pedal. The thrum of her heart racing beneath her sternum, the churning of her stomach, her body was giving in to the sensory overload of her grief. Jon had slept with Elizabeth. As much as she ached to deny the claim, something deep down inside her screamed that it was true.The drive was mind-numbingly slow, no matter how hard she mashed her foot against the metal, however, as she glanced at the speedometer, it hovered far above the speed limit. She exhaled shakily. The streets whipped by in a wicked blur, streetlights fuzzy through tear-streaked eyes. The weightlessness she had felt earlier had disappeared, replaced with a sickening pain that threatened to snap her in two.By the time her car skidded to a halt in Jon’s garage, Zoe was certain her heart was physically protruding through the black cotton of her shirt. With clammy hands, she stepped from the car. She fel

F I F T Y - T W O

The tiny one-bedroom apartment Zoe called home seemed more faded and rundown than she’d remembered, and her shoulders drooped as she shuffled in the door, her keys clinking into the dusty bowl. Muffled voices from above and the soft rumble of the television next door reminded her she wasn’t alone. Sighing, she dumped her bag beside her feet, ambling towards the sofa. She needed a shower, a sleep and some food but any remaining energy after her shift had been zapped from her. Curling her legs beneath her, Zoe flicked on the television, attempting to drown out the events of the night with mind-numbing reality TV.A sharp rap on the scratched door destroyed that glimmer of hope.Squeezing her eyes closed, Zoe prayed it wasn’t Jon on the other side. She wasn’t certain she’d be able to walk away so easily this time. Onyx eyes rimming red as he stared up at her hopelessly, the tormented look of desperation etching in to his features, had been hard enough to leave the first time. Tiptoeing t

F I F T Y - T H R E E

The garage door had closed long ago yet Jon remained frozen where he was. The lights had shut off automatically a few moments after Zoe’s car had disappeared, leaving him alone in the darkness. His knees ached, perched against the concrete, his shoulders slumping as tears stung the corners of his eyes. Self-pity was slowly morphing, the first lashes of rage ripping through his sinewy frame - fury for thinking fucking Elizabeth was the smartest option, anger for being so fucking impatient he couldn’t have spent a few more days away from Zoe, plotting Harley’s location to end it once and for all, rage for allowing himself to truly believe that he could sustain a relationship with someone as sweet and pure as Zoe.Before he could even comprehend what he was doing, he was up on tender knees, the frenzied tempest boiling through his veins exploding. His fist collided against the concrete wall with a dull thud. Pain radiated through his knuckles, traipsing up his

F I F T Y - F O U R

Sunlight filtered through the lounge room window, illuminating the dusty, thrifted furniture littering Zoe’s apartment. Aching muscles groaned as she lifted herself off the sofa, stretching her weary limbs as memories of last night flooded back. Remaining where she was sounded ideal, however the kink in her neck, ache in her back and the thick stench of the bar permeating her clothes forced her up. Her fingers twitched, inching toward her upturned cell phone as a small eddy of nerves twirled in her stomach.Three message notifications awaited her, Jon’s name repeated on the screen.‘I’m so sorry, Zo. I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking.’‘Please say something.’‘I love you. I know that’s hard to believe considering what I’ve done, but I do. If I could take it back, I would. You have to know that.’Zoe squeezed her eyes shut, pinching the bridge of her nose as she tossed the phone back onto the sofa. She rolled her neck, wincing at the twinge on her left side, before ambling to t

F I F T Y - F I V E

“How am I going to know it’s you?” Zoe squeaked, rising on trembling legs as the whooshing of her heartbeat echoed in her ears. She steadied herself on the vanity, feeling a fresh wave of nausea roil her stomach.“Black button-down. Grey tie. Short brown hair.”He was clipped, curt and Zoe assumed he was trying to avoid detection. The phone disconnected, her legs hastily moving as she scrambled to pack a bag with enough essentials to last her a week, at least. Hoisting up her flimsy mattress, she clutched the small amount of cash she’d saved and stuffed it into her duffel. Thank God she’d taken to working the floor, she sighed. If she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have had the money to pay George’s discounted price.A sharp rap rang through the terse apartment. Tiptoeing to the front door, her heart thudding in her throat, Zoe pressed her eye to the peephole. A stocky figure stood in the doorway, distorted by the lens. She spied the black button-down, the grey tie, the cropped brown hair. It w