Divorcing him

Valerie’s POV

I returned to the ball with my feelings high. Every step I took was heavy with anger and resentment. The echoes of Drake's accusations and Charlotte's smug face haunted my thoughts, intertwining into the storm within my chest. The ball was on, and guests were laughing, gisting, and dancing. No one had an inkling of what had just transpired backstage. The chandeliers glittered, flickering a blinding gold on everything, but to me, it all seemed dim, smothering.

I saw Charlotte clinging to Drake's arm, heard her laughter too loud, touch too possessive as if staking a claim on him in front of everybody else. It rubbed salt into fresh wounds. For his part, Drake looked detached, the smile on his face forced. But that didn't matter, my blood started to boil at the sight.

I clenched my fists so hard I could feel the crumple of the divorce documents. The very papers representing my hateful, twisted marriage that had been nothing but a farce. I felt by my side the solid, sturdy p