"We are here, ma'am."
The cab driver's voice cut through the fog of exhaustion that had wrapped around Beauty like a suffocating blanket. She jerked awake, her neck stiff from sleeping against the cracked vinyl seat during the entire ride from the office. The familiar sight of her run-down apartment building greeted her through the grimy window, its weathered brick facade looking even more depressing under the flickering streetlights.
Beauty had been sleeping inside the cab all the way from work, completely drained from Marcello's impossible workload and emotionally battered by his cruel statements that still echoed in her mind. Each harsh word he'd spoken felt like a fresh wound, and the public humiliation in front of her coworkers had left her feeling raw and exposed.
"Thank you," she
