"Forever and always, I will protect you from harm."

"Oh stop it, I didn't even hurt you."

"I vow to never lie to my wife."

"You're lying to me; I know you are."

"For all our lives, my heart will be your home."

"If you leave, don't bother coming back."

Cora jerked in her chair, startled by the sudden voice nearby that broke her semi-conscious loss of reality. The elderly waitress took a hesitant step back, though firmly held onto the steaming teapot without spilling a drop. After a few slow blinks to recall where she was, Cora smiled sweetly up at the woman. "Oh, sorry, Molly, I was out to sea for a moment there." The white haired woman returned the affectionate expression before slightly lifting the kettle. "Would you like another cup of tea?" she asked, though her face held an inquisitive gaze down at the younger female. Cora noticed it - she knew exactly what that look held, and what question was being posed, and it wasn't just about the tea. Molly had withheld the last part of her question: another cup...while you wait for Adrian? Little did the waitress know, Cora's husband was not the one she was waiting for.

"Yes, please, thank you," Cora responded nonetheless. As Molly poured the hot water, Cora reached toward the center of the table for the teabags. As always, she selected the mint Earl Grey along with a packet of Splenda. She could tell Molly was lingering curiously given how slowly she poured the water, but neither of them said anything. It was no secret that Cora and her husband had been fighting but both had the decorum not to directly address it. It was not a secret only because Cora's mother had told her country club friends, of which told their husbands, and those men told their friends in their cigar rooms, and the help enjoyed gossiping about how no matter how wealthy a person could be their lives were not as perfect as they pretended it was. While most did feel a certain degree of sympathy for Cora as she was still young and had not yet become the self-centered indulgent woman her mother had become, they knew it was only a matter of time before Cora started wearing thick dark sunglasses and heavier foundation to mask the marks of physical abuse.

As she stirred the sugar into the tea with a silver spoon, Cora felt a flutter in her chest, like her heart skipped a beat. Looking up and across the parlor of the restaurant, she noticed a familiar couple in a corner. They were leaning close to each other across the table, whispering. The female covered her giggle politely with her hand, while the male leaned back with a smarmy grin. Cora frowned when the female glanced over, and their gazes caught. The other woman gave a quick wave along with a superficial smile; Cora forced the mutual feigned recognition of each other. She knew exactly what they were laughing about, and couldn't stomach to handle another moment of it. Swiftly she stood without taking a sip from her tea, then placed a bill far over the cost of her tea on the table. Molly, at the counter, sighed sadly as Cora left without a word to the couple, or even to say goodbye. This caused the couple to laugh louder once Cora was gone into the streets of the city.

The first action Cora took was to whip out her compact mirror from the purse slung over her shoulder for a quick check to make sure she was presentable. Of course, she was, but not as much as she'd like to be. Ordinarily she'd have braided her hair or done some fancy up-do, but there wasn't any time to change from her household wear as Adrian demanded she leave their house. At least she had managed to hold in the tears so her eyeliner and mascara wouldn't run. They'd been in the middle of getting ready for a dinner date before the fight, so her hip-hugging eggshell white dress with oak and mocha embroidery was far too formal to be walking around in, though her hair up in just a ponytail was a stark contrast. Cream heels clicked quietly on the pavement as she made her way downtown of the tea shop, while returning her mirror to instead retrieve her cell phone. Before she could contact who she intended, Cora noticed a notification from her husband.

Adrian: I'm sorry, honey, I didn't mean it. Where are you?

All she could manage was to roll her eyes before swiping away the message. Instead, she pulled up a different number and proceeded to write them rather than her husband.

Cor: Alex, if you're close, I'll be at Stark's Pub in ten minutes. It's on Fifth and Edgerton. The brick building.

It was just a bus ride's away, but Cora knew there wouldn't be anyone she knew there (and no one who would know her). Pubs weren't a place people like her went. She knew she would stand out, and that it'd be very uncomfortable to sit there alone with strangers. Yet, she knew, as soon as her best friend arrived all that tension would be gone. Cora didn't know what she was going to do when Alexis did show up, whether she would take up the offer to go with her or try calling Adrian and work things out. All she knew was the first sentence she'd said to that very friend in weeks.