The car's engine hummed to a stop outside Noah's apartment building.
'Home sweet home. Where the rent is cheap and the security deposits are just concepts in fantasy.'
Noah clutched the briefcase with the reverence of someone handling liquid salvation. Twenty thousand dollars in cash—enough to rewrite his entire relationship with financial stress.
"Thanks for the ride," he told the driver, a middle-aged man whose playlist had cycled through three different true crime podcasts during their journey.
The driver nodded with the indifference of someone who'd seen everything the city had to offer.
"Stay safe out there."
Inside his apartment, Noah spread the bills across his table.
Eight thousand dollars went into his bedroom safe—a small metal box he'd bought years ago and never had enough money to justify using. The remaining twelve thousand found its way into a smaller, more portable case.
