"I wired the money to your account, don't even think about calling me ever again, " Lynn said, her voice laced with disgust as she ended the call with one of the people she owed. She let out a deep sigh feeling the weight of her frustrations pressing on her shoulders, when would this end?

 The cool evening air carried the scent of freshly baked bread from the nearby bakery, a stark contrast to the sour taste of her financial struggles. She let out another deep sigh of frustration when her account balance appeared on the screen of the ATM. 

 The dim lighting of the alley seemed to close in around her, making her feel trapped. She ran her hand through her dark hair, tugging on it slightly as if trying to pull herself out of her suffocating reality.

 Maybe she had to take lessons on being heartless she thought, so she wouldn't end up in the same position over and over again.

 She let go of her hair and walked away from the ATM. Her hand held her bag tightly as she walked towards the part of town where her apartment was.

 As she walked towards her apartment, the flickering streetlights cast eerie shadows on the ground. She couldn't even take a bus and had no choice but to walk when it was so late. if she took the bus, she would have to starve the next day. She sighed deeply again as she quickened her pace through an alley, scared for her life. it wasn't ideal for her to pass through such a place, but what choice did she have? someone who had such a pitiful life like her didn't have many choices. The grip she had on her bag tightened because of the fear of getting mugged or even worse. She had witnessed a lot of muggings, and it wasn't a nice thing to see... 

 After walking for more than an hour, Lynn finally arrived at her tiny apartment hoping she could finally get some rest, but she had hoped for too much and saw her landlady, Mrs Adams standing by her door with a stern expression etched on her face. This was the last thing she needed right now... her rent wasn't due till ten days. Couldn't this woman just leave her alone and let her breathe well for ten days?

 . "Lynn," Her landlady called out to her when she tried to sneak away. Lynn cursed under her breath as she stopped dead in her tracks. Should she make a run for it?

 ... it would only make her look more pathetic than she already was, and she couldn't avoid her. She knew how persistent Mrs Adams was. She sighed and slowly turned to look at the woman who was already approaching her. Lynn smiled tightly at her as she inched closer, already having an inkling of what she was going to say. "Good evening ma'am" Lynn greeted politely. "Why are you coming back so late at night!" Mrs Williams complained in a disapproving tone, the criticism lingering in the air, which annoyed Lynn to her core, but she couldn't do a thing about it.

 "I had to work late today," Lynn lied, trying to sound convincing. She didn't want Mrs Adams to know about her walking home. It would make her the centre of gossip for the next few days. Everyone knew Mrs Adams had a basket for a mouth.

 "I waited for so long. A responsible young lady shouldn't be out so late at night, you know..." her voice trailed off, but the unspoken criticism hung in the air. Lynn's hand gripped her bag tightly, her knuckles turning white with frustration. Lynn sighed, feeling the weight of her exhaustion. She had been on her feet for hours, and the smell of sweat and worn-out shoes clung to her. "

 Mrs Adams eyed her sceptically, her gaze lingering on Lynn's worn-out clothes and tangled hair. "I'm sure you know why I'm here Lynn, and I don't want any more excuses" 

 Lynn felt like a trapped animal, desperate to escape. "I'll make sure to pay the rent on time, Mrs. Adams," she said, forcing a polite smile onto her face.

 The landlady's expression softened slightly, but her eyes still held a hint of suspicion. "See that you do, Lynn. I don't want to have to rent your place out to someone else." With that, she turned and disappeared into the darkness, leaving Lynn feeling drained and defeated.

 Lynn slumped against the door, feeling the cool wood against her forehead. She closed her eyes, letting the silence wash over her. The sound of crickets and distant traffic created a soothing melody, a stark contrast to the turmoil brewing inside her.

 As she pushed open the door, a faint smell of stale air and old books greeted her. She flipped on the light switch, and the dim bulb cast a warm glow over the cluttered room. Lynn's gaze wandered to the small bed, the worn-out couch, and the makeshift kitchenette. This was her life ... a small, cramped space that felt like a prison.

 She slumped right on her bed, as soon as she made sure her doors were locked and her windows were tightly bolted. That was her daily routine since she had to live in the shady part of town.

 Lynn stared at her white ceiling thinking about her life, would she live this way forever? She didn't have any savings because of her living expenses, and one of her dreams was to move away from this neighbourhood for good. 

 She wanted to move to one of those big apartments in the city where she worked. She was always jealous of the people who lived there. When she was little she was around five years old, she lived with her grandparents who had a big mansion in the city but she didn't stay there for long before her crazy father came and forcefully took her away from them. He kept saying he didn't want her to live the life he had lived. Well, now she wished he had just left her and forgotten about her. Maybe life would have been easier. She barely even remembered her grandparents' face and now they were long dead.

 She was stuck with her gambling addict father accumulating debt even after his death. A memory of a woman popped up in Lynn's head, and she immediately shook her head to discard the memory. It was the memory of her mother, who left her when she was young and ended up getting into a car accident with the man she had run away with. It completely shattered her father, and he was never the same after that. He was either drinking or at a gambling den, and Lynn had to start working as a child to feed herself. 

 Lynn had decided to blame her life predicaments on the mother she barely knew and only saw in photos. Maybe if she had stayed, her father wouldn't have ended up that way and they would be a happy family. She would be in college like most girls her age, and she wouldn't have to struggle every single day. 

 Lynn let out a deep sigh and turned to her side on the bed, hoping she would fall asleep faster. It was past midnight and she needed to get up early tomorrow. She slowly fell asleep and that night she had a dream of the happy family she had always wanted...