silence inside the shop is deafening, broken onl

my body in a sudden

smeared across the floor. This shop was my life. It was my

ken pieces of a ceramic pot. I try to push the pieces together, but my fingers

even pool, a strong

p is firm, hauling me away

" he c

aid kit under the counter, and pulls a sterile wip

m such a burden. You helped me, and now look at this. I don't e

ess grips his chest. He thinks of his massive, empty estate in New York. H

ce is stiff. "We are legally

y good hand. "But we're annulling it tomorro

. He remembers my li

d as you told your mother, I have massive credit card debt. I

y lips. The tension in my chest

s Jennings: Buy a standard, middle-class apartment in Cen

helps me dig my small suitcase out from under a falle

y hand. We walk out, and I l

City. The car is quiet. I lean my head against

ing. We take a creaky elevator to the third floor. Ethan

furniture is basic IKEA. There is a

enuinely impressed. "It

presses a physical shudder of disgust. His b

m again, but my phone vibra

elp. Boss is forcing me to work a double shift. I ca

in my veins.

g toward the door. "My sister is stu

ns. "I'll

gh today. Gas is expensive, and you ne

b the spare key off the co

ng room. He watches from the window as I spr

s into the small kitchen and opens the fridge.

es and meat. A massive headache