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Charlotte wandered the streets almlessly after leaving thew firm.

Night had fallen, and the city lights flickered on, illuminating the streets in a soft glow. The evening breeze rustled bthrough /bthe treetops, whispering against the quiet hum of the city.

A wave of loneliness washed over her.

She was really leaving.

This ce had been her home for three years

She thought back to when bshe /bhad first arrived in Harbor City. Her father had frozen all her bank ounts, leaving her with nothing but a few thousand in her digital wallet. She spent three nights in a hotel, barely scraping by.

the office.

In those three days, she secured ba /bjob at aw firm and found a cheap rental near the

The lease required a one–month deposit and three months‘ rent upfront. After paying, she was nearly penniless. If it hadn’t been for her best friend back in Jersey City bsending /bher money, she wouldn’t have even been able to afford food.

The apartmentplex was a mess–crime–ridden, full of drunks and sketchy neighbors.

Not long after moving in, a drunk man started banging on her doorte at night.

Terrified, she would hide under the covers, heart pounding, afraid to even breathe.

Sheined to thendlord, but he simply shrugged and said, “Not my problem.”

With no other choiceb, /bshe bmoved /bout but the scumbagndlord refused to return her bdeposit/b.

At first, she tried reasoning with him. But instead of returning the money, he cursed her out, hurling every insult he could think of.

Charlotte had reached her limit.

She called the tax authorities to report his bunpaid /bproperty taxes

Then she called the fire safety bureau to report the building’s numerous safety vitions.

And as if that weren’t enough, she took him to court for breach of contract and harassment, leaving him scrambling to deal with the blegal /btrouble.

The case hadn’t even been officially filed yet when thendlord caved and returned her deposit.

Charlotte withdrew the breach of contractwsuit but refused to drop the harassment case.

In the end, thendlord lost and had to pay her damages for defamationb. /b

Thinking bback /bon it now, Charlotte couldn’t help butugh.

That was probably the lowest point in her life.

Later, she heard from a former neighbor that not long after she moved out, the drunk who used to knock on her bdoor /bbgot /bbeaten up probably for messing with the wrong person.

As for thendlord? He disappeared without a trace.

To Charlotte, it was nothing but karma.

Sue met Zac during her internship at thew firm.

That dayb, /bshe had apanied a senior attorney to one of Gibson Corporation’s subsidiaries to negotiate a blegal /bbadvisory /bcontract.

visit.

Zac bhad /bhappened to be there on a site vis

ording to him, it was love at first sight.

After that, he pursued her relentlessly.

He was thoughtful, attentive, and emotionally supportive–always showing up exactly when she needed him most.

bOnce /bthey got together, he treated her well.

They had shared genuinely happy moments.

But everything changed on their one–year anniversary.

That night, they had both had a few drinks.

Zac tried to take things to the next level.

He pulled her into his arms, lowering his head to kiss her.

But Charlotte panicked and shoved him away.

He froze,

his expression wounded. His voice was hoarse wher

when he asked, “bWhy/b?”

Her heart pounded. She stammered, “L… I’m not ready yet. Just… give me some time.”

From that night on, he bwas /bnever the same.

After that, Zac wasn’t as sweet anymore.

And as time passed, she never did feel ready.

She refused to go all the way with him–hell, she didn’t beven /blike kissing him.

She couldn’t bquite /bexin why

Maybe it was because he had been with so many women before her.

Maybe, deep down, she found him dirty.

Her body simply rejected him.

Whatever the reason, looking back now, she felt nothing but reliefb. /b

iWhen /is

she returned to the vi that night, Zac wasn’t home.

Charlotte took a shower and fell into a deep sleep.

Ten more days.

Then she would be gone.

Finally.