Chapter 39

• The red liquid flickered against the firelight. She raised the goblet and scrutinized the crimson wine. Screaming Eagle Cabernet, the world’s most expensive red wine—a luxury only the wealthy could indulge in. She wanted to laugh at herself. Yeah, she’s rich. Beautiful. Educated. Those traits were supposed to elevate her, yet now they felt meaningless. She felt like a pitiful joke, utterly worthless.
• She took a swig from the goblet, then grabbed the bottle on the table and drank straight from it. She longed to drown herself in alcohol, hoping it might silence the questions raging in her mind.
• Elvira exhaled sharply and slammed the bottle onto the coffee table in her condo. Closing her eyes, she tried to steady herself. Her thoughts had spiraled for days, gnawed by insecurity—a weakness she despised herself for surrendering to.