Page 94

At least I hadn't had a broken heart.
My throat tightened again and my chest felt constricted.
"Ow!" I stumbled and looked down. In the last few minutes, I had been so lost in thought that I hadn't paid much attention to the road. Now the heel of my right shoe had gotten stuck in a manhole cover. Just great. With a jerk, I freed my foot and tried to walk on. Then I stumbled for the second time.
"Damn it!" I took a closer look at my right shoe. The heel was cracked.
"Shit!" I cursed further. The cursing felt good. For a moment, I forgot my sadness. Being angry felt... somehow relieving.
I couldn't go on like this. Without hesitation, I bent down and slipped off my shoes.
Splash!
A drop hit my neck.
What was that?
I straightened up again, with the shoes in my left hand. Suspiciously, I looked up. The clouds that had gathered earlier and seemed slightly gray now hung low in the sky, appearing like a dense, dark blanket.
Splash!
Another drop hit my face.
And then another.
And another.
Just great. What was I supposed to do now? Of course, I had neither an umbrella nor a jacket with me. In the small purple purse I was carrying to match my dress were my phone, some money, and the key to my apartment. I had nothing else with me.
Splash.
Splash.
Splash.
One drop after another fell on me. The dress quickly acquired many dark spots. I kept walking. What choice did I have? At least I could move a bit faster without shoes.
Just a few seconds later, the sky fully opened its floodgates. The rain grew stronger and stronger. The drops pelted down on me and soaked me completely. The damp dress clung to my skin.
Desperately, I peered down the street. There was no place here where I could take shelter. Nothing. No awning. No tree overhanging the fence of a property. Literally nothing. Longingly, I thought of New York. There were stores with awnings, malls, cafes, and subway stations, offering plenty of opportunities to seek shelter from bad weather.
But here...
Nothing. In front of me was the wet street, to the left and right were unwelcoming walls and fences that barred my access to gardens and houses.
Just as Carter had barred my access to him. At that thought, a new lump formed in my throat. I swallowed.
At that moment, it began to rain even harder than before. The drops bored into my skin like tiny projectiles. In my sorrow, I barely felt the pain and continued walking through the rain, which drummed with unexpected force on the street and on my body. I was soaked to the bone.
Just then, I heard a sound behind me.
A car.
My heart skipped a beat.
Carter?
Was he coming to get me? Did he want to bring me somewhere warm and talk to me?