The Sanctuary✔️

4

Ashley woke up before her alarm this time, her small clock read 6:19 a.m which meant she had quite a bit of time to spare before she had to go to work. Though she was up early, she barely slept that night since she was tossing and turning in her sleep. She had been deathly tired but her thoughts wouldn't let her sleep.

To distract herself she decided to play some music, which often helped her feel better whenever she fell into a sour mood. Cooking herself a nice breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon before making herself some coffee, Ashley entirely felt like doing nothing.

After she ate, she brushed her teeth and washed her face before looking at herself in the mirror.

She looked dead.

Her hair was messy, the bags under her eyes were on full display and her eyes were red and somewhat puffy from crying in her sleep.

"Maybe I'm being overdramatic..." She said to herself, poking her red cheeks. John didn't say he never wanted to see her again, maybe he just needed some time to cool down and when he did, he'd come back and everything would be fine again. With that optimistic thought, she left the bathroom to pick out what she would be wearing for the day.

She decided on a fitted pencil skirt and a maroon blouse before pairing it with heels. Once she was satisfied with the outfit, she decided to add the earrings John had gotten her on their second anniversary.

Ashley already felt ten times better and was looking forward to the rest of the day. She put on a bit of mascara and red lipstick before fixing her hair into a somewhat messy, somewhat decent looking ponytail.

"You clean up nicely." She complimented her reflection, winking at herself and smiling. Despite the fact she was running on a few hours of sleep, Ashley was going to make today a good day, nothing could bring her down from her high spirits now.

When she went inside of her room again, she spared a glance at the clock that read 7:32 a.m. Ashley still had a little over half an hour before she had to get to work. Maybe I should get some coffee and donuts for at work? She smiled at the thought, she now considered the sweet but perverted old lady a friend.

With that, she grabbed her keys and left her apartment. She drove to the only cafe she ever went to and parked in the parking lot before going inside. Ashley felt confident, which was a somewhat new feeling for her and she welcomed it graciously. When it was her turn in line, she ordered a box of donuts and coffee.

One of the employees offered to help her take it to her car, and she thanked her, following behind the girl. Ashley spared a glance at the other customers in the cafe before her eyes landed on a very familiar face.

Her heart started to beat faster at the sight of John laughing and conversing with a woman at his table. They looked to be enjoying each other's company, a lot. John was looking at the girl with a certain look in his eyes that he had for Ashley whenever he wanted to have sex. Lust.

He didn't even notice she was there.

"-iss? Miss, which car belongs to you?" The employee asked, annoyed at the woman for not paying attention.

Ashley snapped out of her trance, disregarding what she saw and immediately finding some kind of explanation for it. Maybe that was his friend and he decided to have breakfast with her before work. She theorized and settled on that idea instead of the one that she hated the most.

"Uhm, that one. Hold on, let me open it for you."

After some bustling and a bunch of 'thank you's from Ashley, she finally left and drove to The Sanctuary. For once she was actually early, feeling proud of herself for not only being more than on time, but bringing a treat for everyone. She spotted Jack once she entered, "Hey Jack, can you help me please? I brought donuts and coffee for everyone." She told him.