Stacey knew she couldn’t go on like this, but breaking her lease wasn’t an option—she couldn’t afford the penalties, and finding a new, affordable apartment in the city was nearly impossible. It was a painful choice between her peace of mind and her independence.
One evening, drained and defeated, Stacey sat in bed, her eyes glued to her phone as she searched for a new place to live. As she combed through listings, every apartment she found seemed worse than her own—dark, cramped, or outrageously priced.