A glimpse into eight years ago

Harry trudged back to his condo, his mind racing from the unsettling conversation with Zoey. A nagging sense of unease settled in the pit of his stomach. The more he tried to clear his thoughts, the more they seemed to become a jumbled mess. Frustration gnawed in his mind and he yanked his tie off and threw it aside, then opened the first few buttons on his shirt.

Everything happened because of Valerie. He did what he had to do for her sake, yet she turned around to bite him in the back, again?

Harry descended into his cellar, feeling his spirit slipping away. He sat on the stool across the wine bar, pouring himself a generous glass of wine. The rich aroma filled the air as he lifted it to his lips.

The first gulp burned down his throat, but he barely noticed, his mind already slipping into an ugly memory he thought he'd long buried. The chill from the AC seeped into his bones, but Harry didn't feel it, lost as he was in the shadows of his own mind…