Ashley, on the other hand, stormed out without any clear destination in mind.
At first, she just walked.
Her face still burned from the slap, but the humiliation burned even worse. Her father had slapped her. Her mother had looked away. Neither of them had defended her. Neither of them cared that she was suffering.
All they cared about was money.All they cared about was Lena.
Lena, Lena, Lena.
It always came back to Lena.
Ashley's nails dug into her palms as she walked, her chest tight with hatred. She hated Lena for surviving. She hated her for thriving. She hated her for being the reason everything in her life had collapsed.
Eventually, with nowhere else to go and no one she wanted to see, Ashley decided to go to a bar.
She just wanted to drink.
Maybe if she drank enough, she would forget everything for one night. Maybe the alcohol would numb the humiliation, the anger, the resentment clawing at her insides.
