The snow thickened, turning the streetlights into hazy halos.
Maybe tomorrow will be better, she told herself.
But she had been telling herself that for weeks.
Her thoughts drifted to the long chain of decisions that had brought her here.
A year ago, she had a small apartment and a steady job at a bookstore. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was safe.
Then her mother got sick.
Hospital bills piled up faster than Elena could count. She drained her savings without hesitation.
