Chapter 7. Preparing for Life Alone

Victoria’s POV

The echo of silence in my new apartment was deafening.

I had never lived anywhere like this before—barely a hundred square feet, with peeling paint on the walls and a persistent draft that seeped through the windows. The single bed was lumpy, the kitchen a mere corner with outdated appliances, and the bathroom barely fit a shower stall. It wasn’t home, not yet, but it was mine.

I sank onto the bed, staring at the cardboard boxes stacked in the corner. They contained the remnants of my old life—a few clothes, sentimental keepsakes, and one framed photo of my parents I couldn’t bear to leave behind. Everything else had been stripped away, either sold to pay legal fees or claimed by Ethan as part of the divorce settlement.

Ethan.....

The thought of him still made my blood boil. His smug expression when the judge finalized the divorce was seared into my memory. He hadn’t even looked at me when I signed the papers, too busy scrolling th