Chapter 5
I spent the night huddled up in that public shed, barely getting any real sleep. When I woke up, I was shivering from head to toe, my hands and feet numb with cold, and my neck was stiff and aching.
By morning, the place was getting busy. Breakfast stalls were popping up everywhere, and the air was filled with the mouthwatering smell of bread.
An older lady spotted me curled up on a chair in the shed and was startled.
"Sweetie, are you alright? What are you doing sleeping out here in this cold?" she asked.
She probably thought I was homeless.
I told her I was fine, just taking a break.
She shook her head and handed me two slices of bread.
I wolfed them down, and finally started to feel a bit warmer.
That little bit of warmth made me realize how naive I'd been.
In this freezing weather, I actually spent the night out on the street.
If the temperature dropped or it started snowing, who knows how much damage it could do to my body.
I could actually freeze to death out here.
If I really did freeze to death, I'd be the biggest fool ever, dying over some loser who never even cared about me.
"Ma'am, let me help you sell some bread," I said, blowing on my hands for warmth and trying to pull myself together.
Girls like me, barely hanging on at the edge of society, have no choice but to be tough.
Five years of festering crap, now that I finally caught a whiff of how bad it stank, it was time to flush it for good.
The morning crowd was huge, and the lady was swamped, having someone to help out was exactly what she needed.
I helped her out until ten, and when the warm sunlight hit my face, it felt like I was born again.
The lady handed me 15 dollars, saying she was just a small-time vendor and hoping I wouldn't mind the small amount.
Of course, I didn't mind at all. I pushed my cart off to restock, already planning to check into a hotel with heating after I finished up tonight.
I still had a few hundred dollars on me.
Just thinking about it made me hate myself all over again for being so damn clueless.
Alex and I had one hundred thousand dollars saved up together, but last night I was so wrapped up in heartbreak and anger that I completely spaced on it.
I needed to get my share back, at least half of that money was mine!
I pushed my cart back to the apartment, but the place was totally empty. Even the locks had been changed.
I banged on the door in anger, but no one answered.
Did Alex really just run off with my money?
"Disgusting!" I spat. Five years of love had turned into nothing but rotting sludge. It made me want to throw up.
As I turned around, I saw a stylish woman standing on the stairs, looking super fashionable with light makeup, watching me.
She had an LV bag slung over her shoulder, and her heavy coat was a bright, eye-catching color.
Compared to her, I looked so plain and dowdy, like some farm girl straight out of the countryside.
"Are you Emily?" she asked.