[Hazel]
I was their last real estate scam victim.
It’s bad enough being fooled—humiliating, gutting.
But being the last? That’s a whole new level of torment.
Only if I had waited—just an hour.
If I had held on to a little more patience,
I could’ve been spared.
I could’ve been saved.
The car rolled to a halt in front of the real estate office, its tires crunching softly over the gravel. I didn’t move. My hands remained clenched in my lap, knuckles white, chest tightening with every breath. From the passenger seat, I stared at the building ahead—the same place I’d stepped into not long ago, full of hope and impossible excitement. But now? Now it looked different.
It was crowded. People clustered near the entrance, some pacing, some shouting, some simply standing frozen like statues
