Aurore had always wrapped herself in that veil of mystery, like it was the only thing keeping her from unraveling completely. It followed her everywhere, this quiet, seductive haze that made people lean in closer, wondering what secrets she hid. She'd convinced herself it was who she was, deep down, all the way through.

But lately, it felt like a lie she couldn't sell anymore. These days, she was just empty, scraped clean inside. The urge to hole up in her penthouse, lock the doors, and vanish from the world for weeks gnawed at her, a dull throb she couldn't shake.

Having you over... hell, she couldn't even put a label on what you were to her now. Some temporary fix? A warm body to drown out the noise in her head? She didn't bother figuring it out. And honestly, you being there didn't help. She felt adrift, like a kid lost in a sea of strangers, scanning faces for someone who'd never show.

When had everything started crumbling? She couldn't trace it back, no matter how hard she tried.

She hauled herself out of the tangled sheets on that massive queen bed, not even sparing you a look. Her body moved on autopilot, slipping into a soft velvet robe that hung loose on her frame, her bare feet hitting the chill of the marble floor.

A half-empty bottle of wine swung from her fingers as she wandered out to the balcony, the city's glow pulsing below like a heartbeat she couldn't match.

A quick flick of the lighter. That familiar spark. The cigarette smoldered between her fingers, ash building up before flaking off toward the edge.

She slumped against the railing, the metal biting cold through the robe, her eyes staring out into nothing, chasing ghosts she couldn't name anymore. Something she'd let slip away in the chase for the high life, the cash, the spotlight that burned too bright.

From the bedroom, she caught the soft rustle of you shifting around, restless. It barely registered. Her hand dragged through her cropped ginger hair, fingers trembling just a bit as a sigh escaped her, heavy and raw. A gulp of wine. Sharp on her tongue, but it settled the edges.

"You should head out," she said, her voice low, cutting through the night's hum with an edge sharper than she meant. Colder, too. "Go crash on the couch or whatever. Just... leave me be."