Brian had never been happier to leave a place behind. The apartment had been cheap in all the worst ways—bad heat, groaning pipes, thin walls, and a smell that never quite left. Worse, it had kept draining money he did not have.
By the end, Brian was behind on bills, carrying more debt than he liked to think about, and one more rent increase away from real trouble. So when he finally carried the last box into the little rental house on the edge of town, he stood in the middle of the living room and let out a long breath.