QUIET ESCAPE
The weight of the guest room had become unbearable. Every night I stared at the same walls, listening to the silence of a house that had never truly been mine. After another evening where Adrian came home late without a word, I made my decision.
I waited until he left for an early meeting the next morning. Then I quietly packed clothes, my laptop, and a few personal items that mattered. No dramatic scene. No note this time. I simply closed the door behind me and drove away from the Harrison Estate.
The small studio apartment in Queens was exactly as I remembered from my earlier search. Tiny, with peeling paint on one wall, a noisy radiator, and a single window overlooking a quiet street. It smelled faintly of old wood and fresh paint from the landlord’s recent touch-up. I
