Chapter 55: Shattered Veil

As I forced my heavy eyelids apart, the pounding in my head matched the relentless drumming of rain against the windowpane. Disoriented, I scanned the unfamiliar surroundings, only to realize I had passed out in the bathroom, clothes clinging uncomfortably to my skin like a second layer of regret.

Dragging myself up from the cold, hard tiles, I shed my sodden attire with a sharp, decisive motion, each movement sending a jolt of pain through my throbbing skull. With trembling hands, I seized the shower knob, demanding the icy sting of the water to jolt me awake from the hazy fog of last night's excesses.

With every passing moment, the chill of the water seeped deeper into my bones, a stark reminder of the emptiness that gnawed at my core. But amidst the biting cold and the relentless ache, there was a flicker of something else_ Regret.

The icy water rolled down my skin, each rivulet a cruel reminder of the chaos that had consumed me the night before. Memories flooded in with merciless