After coming out of the hospital, Victoria opened her Audi and sat in the driver's seat. But she didn't start the car immediately.
First, she called Jan.
"Find out where he is," she said. No explanation needed. Jan understood.
It took five minutes. Jan had connections everywhere. Victoria received the address and forwarded it to Briana. Then she put her phone down and rested her head against the seat, eyes closed.
Thoughts flooded in.
Was I always this cold? Was I always this reserved? Who was I? Who am I?
She couldn't define herself anymore. Couldn't recognise the person she'd become.
She forced the thoughts aside and started the car. She needed a change. A long drive.
She played "Rewrite the Stars" from The Greatest Showman. The song filled the car as she sped down empty roads, windows up, air conditioner humming at a chill temperature she liked. Trees flashed by. She overtook the few cars on the road with dangerous precision.
The lyrics washed over her.
What if we rewrite the stars? Say you were made to be mine. Nothing could keep us apart...
She wondered if she could rewrite her own stars.
No one can rewrite the stars. How can you say you'll be mine? Everything keeps us apart...
The song told a story - a man who believed he could decide his own destiny, a woman who believed they couldn't because everyone kept interfering. Victoria thought about her own destiny. About the girl on the steps. About the mother who took her revenge and then took her own life. About every woman she'd fought for since.
Could anyone truly rewrite their stars?
After a long while, she stopped at a cafe. Grand interior. Beautiful. A normal hot coffee here costs twice what it would at a chain.
She went to the upper floor, found a private room, and ordered an iced coffee. Drank it leisurely. Looked out the window at a garden below.
The atmosphere was relaxing. For the first time that day, her mood shifted. She felt... calmer.
She stayed a while longer, then finally rose to leave.
She entered the elevator. A man stepped in after her.
Her phone rang. She glanced at it, distracted.
Then she heard it - loud heels rushing toward the closing doors. The man beside her pressed the close button. Impatient. Rude.
The doors almost sealed shut when a hand stopped them.
A woman burst in, panting, furious. "How dare you do that? Jerk!"
Before anyone could react, she hurled her hot coffee at the man.
He dodged - fast reflexes.
Victoria did not.
The coffee splashed across her chest, her blazer, her neck. Hot but not burning. Drops dripped down her clothes.
The woman froze. The man froze. Victoria stood there, coffee dripping, face unreadable.
The old Victoria, the cheerful, talkative girl from before, would have enjoyed the chaos. Maybe made a joke. Maybe troubled the woman for entertainment.
But the current Victoria?
She just stared at them. Cold. Empty.
Just as she'd finally felt better, finally crawled out of that frozen shell, they'd ruined it.