Fan The Flames Between Them

Ophelia settled into the plush velvet chair, a contented sigh escaping her lips. The party was everything she had hoped for, a dazzling display of wealth and influence. She had managed to attend without Edward, a small victory that filled her with a sense of quiet triumph. She had proven to herself, and to him, that she could navigate these social circles on her own, that she didn't need his condescending presence to validate her existence.

Sometimes she kept herself up, wondering why she was still with him. Twenty five years of marriage and what had he brought to her life besides his disdain and constant gambling debts? He had not aged well, his hair was falling out, the only thing he had going for him with his family name and that without any money was just impoverished gentility.