06

**

After the office hours were over, Sharon took Allora shopping for a new dress for the party. To her horror, Sharon chose a beige-colored bodycon dress with full net sleeves, making her fitted appearance stand out.

"Are you crazy? I am not  wearing that dress. You know short dresses, and especially body-hugging ones, are not  for me," Allora said in disbelief. She never expected her best friend not  to know her clothing preferences.

"Oh, you always dress like an old lady in loose clothes, and the place we're going has a dress code. Oh... we have to buy sandals too." Sharon hustled her into the trial room.

'You've seen worse in your life, and I want to make you forget the shit you went through for that asshole,' Sharon thought.

Going to the party was just an excuse to get her out of her shell.

"Oh, you always dress like an old lady in loose clothes, and the place we're going has a dress code. Oh... we have to buy sandals too," Sharon hustled her into the trial room.

'You've seen worse in your life, and I want to make you forget the shit you went through for that asshole,' Sharon thought.

Going to the party was just an excuse to get her out of her shell.

And when Allora left the mall, she already drew attention, and some even whistled, which made her face flush.

**

The energy within the club was at its height. However, away from the vibrant crowd, there sat Allora in the corner, accompanied by her friend who engaged her in a playful and suggestive conversation about men around them. Despite the jovial facade, her eyes betrayed a different story - one of deep sadness.

Dressed in a body-hugging beige dress, with bold red lips accentuating her features, Allora exuded an undeniable allure. Her petite frame may have made her seem delicate, but there was an enigmatic aura about her that intrigued those who not iced.

"Allora, you have to let him go," Sharon, one of her friends, gently interrupted her thoughts, concerned by the distant expression on Allora's face.

Unfazed by the interruption, Sharon observed as Allora held her drink, seemingly lost in her own world.

With her signature smile tinged with melancholy, Allora replied, "He already let me go," before swiftly downing the drink in one gulp.

The weight of her words hung in the air, capturing the essence of a love lost and the pain she carried within. Despite her captivating exterior, Allora's heart bore the burden of a shattered connection.

"Forget it! Let's burn up the dance floor," Allora said, sounding gleeful.

Sharon rolled her eyes at her friend's failed attempt.

The DJ was playing trance music, and Allora seemed lost in a daze, allowing the rhythmic beats to slowly wash away her sadness.

With each thumping sound, she felt her mind replaying her past in front of her, and one by one, she was releasing him from her memories.

~~

"Please listen to me. I can not  live without you," Allora said, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

"Do not  make me laugh now, Allora," he mocked her, a cold glint in his eyes.

"Mason, I will do anything, please do not  leave me." She clasped her hands together in supplication, desperate to salvage their relationship.

"Anything?" he questioned, his tone sinister.

"Yes, anything, please. I love you," she pleaded, hoping he would reconsider.

"Then abort this baby," he said without remorse, his words cutting through her heart like a knife. "What, now you do not  love me?" he sneered, looking directly at her shocked expression.

Torn between her love for him and the life growing within her, Allora felt her world shattering. The ultimatum he presented was cruel and heart-wrenching.

"It is either the baby or me, you decide," he gave an ultimatum, his voice dripping with manipulation and cold indifference.

~~

Suddenly, the music seemed to stop, and loud voices could be heard emanating from somewhere near the bar counter, which was designed to look like an underground floor below the club.

Allora opened her eyes and not iced the same confused expression on her friends' faces.

As they all turned their attention towards the source of the commotion, they saw the crowd gathering near the railing that separated the bar from the dance floor. Instinctively, they walked towards it to get a closer look at the cause of the disturbance.

Allora's ears caught an angry voice followed by a heart-wrenching wail. Amidst the chaos, she could distinguish a male voice screaming profusely, seemingly hitting someone.

Her instincts kicked in, sending her senses into high alert, but she could not  quite grasp the situation fully, leaving her feeling disoriented and perplexed.

The unexpected turn of events had disrupted the previously joyous atmosphere, leaving an uneasy tension in the air. Allora felt a mixture of concern for those involved and a lingering sense of vulnerability that she had been trying to push aside.

Allora could hear an angry voice followed by a wail. She could discern a male voice, screaming profusely while hitting someone.

'Why do I suddenly feel scared?' she thought, quickening her pace alongside her friends.

As they approached the scene, her view became clearer. There, she saw the back of a man crouching down on someone, gripping their collar and repeatedly throwing punches.

The sight sent a shiver down Allora's spine, and her instincts kicked in again, urging her to proceed with caution. The atmosphere around them was tense, and the fear she felt was palpable.

With her heart pounding, Allora exchanged concerned glances with her friends, their unspoken agreement to stay together in the face of this troubling situation.

She felt her eyelids start to flutter with a sense of foreboding. However, she did not  have time to process the situation before she suddenly heard the man roar, "Motherfucker, you dare? SHE IS MY WIFE."

Her breath caught in her throat, and a gasp escaped her lips as she recognized the voice and the fury behind it. She was all too familiar with the anger he could unleash. Instantly, her heart raced, and her mind raced to comprehend the perilous situation.

~~

"I aborted the baby exactly as you asked me to. How could you not  be true to your words?" Allora's voice trembled with anger and pain as she held her arms, feeling the emptiness inside her.

"I never said I wouldn't divorce you," he retorted, a cold smile forming on his lips as he callously pushed her hand away.

In that moment, the realization hit Allora like a devastating storm. She had sacrificed everything, even the life growing within her, to fulfill his heartless demand. She had believed his words, hoping that their love could mend the fractures in their relationship.

But now, she stood before him, her heart shattered, and her trust betrayed. The man she once loved had shown his true colors, and it was a darkness she could no longer endure.

Tears blurred her vision as she stared at him, the pain of his betrayal etched into her soul. She had given up her dreams, her hopes, and her child for him, only to be met with indifference and cruelty.

"You used me, manipulated me, and discarded me like trash," Allora's voice quivered with a mix of anguish and fury. "How could you be so heartless?"

It was the last time Allora saw him...

~~

As she snapped out of her thoughts, she felt a burning gaze upon her, and her black eyes instantly locked with the brown ones of the man she once called her husband.

"Mason..." she could help but whispers his name.

Her knees trembled beneath her, threatening to give way, but Sharon swiftly moved to support her. Her friend's expression mirrored the horror and fear that gripped Allora.

The anger she saw in her ex-husband's eyes made her flinch, and in that moment, survival instincts took over. Without a second thought, she ran, driven by the desperate need to save herself before the storm of his rage engulfed her entirely.

In that fleeting moment, she realized that the past had caught up with her, and she had to flee to protect herself from the chaos that lay ahead. She ran with every ounce of strength she could muster, her heart pounding, and her mind racing with fear and determination.

When she came to her senses again, she realized she was in one of the bathrooms. One look at her reflection froze her.

The women in the bathroom erupted into screams and complaints about the intruder. But for Allora, that was the least of her worries at that moment. She had more significant issues to attend to.

In the next heartbeat, she felt herself being roughly dragged out of the bathroom.

The grip on her arm was tight, causing her to wince in pain as she stumbled along with her aggressor. She looked up to see Mason's angry face, his eyes ablaze with fury.

Fear and confusion gripped her, and her heart pounded in her chest.

"Let go of me!" Allora demanded, trying to break free from his hold, but he seemed unstoppable.

### 02

Ignoring her plea, Mason continued to pull her through the club, drawing curious and concerned glances from the other partygoers. Allora's mind raced, trying to understand why he was behaving this way, and what he intended to do.

"Why are you doing this?" Allora's voice quivered as she confronted him, trying to hold her ground despite the fear welling up inside her.

"You think you can just party like not hing happened?" Mason's voice was filled with bitterness and anger, each word a stab to her heart.

No matter how much she struggled, his grip on her wrist remained relentless, making it almost impossible for her to break free. As he forcefully dragged her down the stairs, Allora's mind raced with fear and confusion.

'Where was he taking me?' she wondered, her heart pounding in her chest.

Her attempts to resist only seemed to fuel his anger further. He clasped both her wrists, trapping her in his strong hold, and pulled her closer to him, wrapping an arm around her waist. The uncomfortable proximity and the imbalance caused by her high heels made it difficult for her to match his steps.

Desperate for help, Allora looked around for Sharon, hoping her best friend would intervene. But the crowd seemed oblivious to their distress, immersed in their own revelry.

When they finally reached his car, he pushed Allora roughly toward the passenger door, ordering her to get in, "Get in."

"No," she said firmly, mustering all her courage to stand her ground. She gathered every ounce of courage within her and locked eyes with him, determined not  to let fear consume her.

Seeing the glint of reluctance in her eyes, his face contorted with rage. Without warning, he lost control, unleashing his fury on the car's roof with a powerful punch. The deafening sound of impact echoed in the night, sending shivers down Allora's spine.

She flinched at the sudden burst of violence, and a tear of fear escaped her eyes as she clamped a trembling hand over her mouth to stifle her cry.

The car window shattered into a thousand pieces from the force of his anger, adding to the chaos of the moment.

Satisfied with her visible fear, he opened the car door, his face twisted into a cruel smirk. Allora's heart pounded in her chest as she hesitated, torn between defiance and the overwhelming desire to protect herself.