Downfall | ✔️

Chapter 41.

Amara's POV:

"I feel like we don't belong here." I say awkwardly.

"Oh, honey." a woman's voice startles me, I turn to see a middle-aged woman with dark brown hair, and dark eyes swirling the remainder of her drink around her glass.

"None of us belong here," she scoffs, "As long as you look like you belong here, you'll do just fine—and that, you do." she grins vacantly, tapping the sequins of my dress with her index finger.

Mason's eyes flicker between us confusedly, as I fumble for what to say.

"Everybody in this room looks like they have their shit together, right?" she asks, her eyes sweeping the dancefloor where three couples dance slowly—dressed in what looks like designer clothes.

"I guess.." I mumble sheepishly.

"And me, I look like I have my shit together, have myself a lot of money, a nice house." she trails on, continuing to swirl her drink.

"All of this?" she motions to her perfectly designed gown, "My husband bought it for me, little does he know that I'm extremely aware of his.. extra-curricular activities." she raises her brow.

"I don't understand." I say sheepishly, tilting my head.

"He's been sleeping with our nanny for years, honey" she scoffs, her eyes seemingly cold.

"Then why do you stay with him?" Mason intervenes.

"There isn't any love there anymore, it's simply an exchange. We live in our house together, with little to no communication—ships in the night, if you will. But when we're in public we put on the performance of a lifetime. The money, the clothes, the house. We keep each other afloat, and we look perfectly stable—that's what counts in a place like this, darling. The image." she rambles, her eyes focused on the diamond on her finger. I'm not sure I understand what she's saying, she's notably drunk and it's hard to keep up. But my heart aches for her.

"Anais!" a male voice bellows from the entrance to the room, her head snapping up before she rolls her eyes.

"There he is." she sighs, "Probably off screwing one of the hotel staff." a low laugh escapes her lips as she takes the last sip of her drink.

"There you are." the man smiles, lacing his arm around her waist. Something about him gives me chills, maybe it's the fact I'm uneasily aware of his infidelity, but his presence immediately makes me want to leave.

"Come on, let's leave this poor couple alone now." he says lowly, guiding his wife from her stool. "Take care." she waves, removing her husbands arm from her person forcefully.

I stay silent for a moment as the two leave the room, feeling uneasy.

"Are you sure we only drove for an hour? I think we entered another dimension or some shit." Mason breaks the silence, making me chuckle. He looks just as, if not more uneasy than me.

When I turn back around to the bar I notice our drinks sitting in front of us, we were so wrapped up in our conversation with that woman we didn't notice our drinks being poured.

"Cheers." Mason chuckles as he lifts up his glass to mine.

The uneasy feeling slowly leaves as we have a few drinks and laugh, this is the first time I've drank with Mason where it isn't at a frat party. We have a few martinis and a 'Black Russian', whatever the hell that is. It tasted amazing. As the drinks seem to flow I feel myself getting progressively more tipsy, although my alcohol tolerance is pretty impressive, if I do say so myself.