Her income would cover the essentials if she stayed careful. Rent, groceries, transit, nothing indulgent. She opened a spreadsheet, muttering, “I can make this work.” Numbers behaved when emotions didn’t. The discipline steadied her, even as it confirmed how narrow her margin truly was now, without Brett.
She adjusted quickly, too quickly. When colleagues who didn’t know asked, “Are you okay?” she smiled, saying, “I’m fine.” Efficiency replaced grief. She unpacked, organized, and functioned. The speed unsettled her. Did it suggest she had been preparing for this separation long before it actually happened?