l air; here, sunlight spilled through thin curtains onto a cluttered room that smelled faintly of motor oil and coffee. Elena sat u

his messy handwriting: Back at the garage. Coffee's in t

y scrolling through job boards on Kai's old laptop, her manicured nails tapping against keys that stuck. Every listing fel

at the crumpled receipts on the table, realizing that her designer habits had no place here. She learned

from grand rooms. Just the hum of the fridge and the distant sound of Kai's tools clinking in the garage. At night, ex

wasn't glamorous, but it was hers. She celebrated by cooking pasta in a chipped pot, Kai grin

lena repli

, and the whispers of doubt that sometimes crept in when bills piled up. Still, every str