And I felt guilty for that. That I hadn’t been strong enough to just leave him. Instead, he died, and I was off the hook.

When I discovered that he’d only left me with the few thousand dollars in our checking account and nothing else, I didn’t even care. Because I was free of him.

“You were an asshole, Joey,” I say out loud. “I don’t even have very many good memories from our marriage. Because shortly after we said I do, you were off doing God knows what with God knows who. And I was here, fending for myself.”

I walk up the front steps to my door and take a deep breath when I’m safely inside.

I don’t know, the idea of having all that money currently sitting down on that island is tempting. It would replace that bucket of rust that just gave out on me.

Considering it, I walk back to my bedroom and strip out of my clothes for that hot shower. I start the water so it can heat up and wipe the makeup off my face. I turn to step into the water and scowl.

Usually, by the time the makeup is gone, the shower is ready for me.

But there’s no steam, and when I reach my hand in, it’s still ice-cold.

“No.” I shake my head and quickly wrap a towel around me as I run to the tiny mechanical room just off the kitchen where the hot water heater resides.

It’s not making any noise.

I’m no water heater expert, but I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to make noise.

“Don’t do this to me,” I plead, but deep down, I know it’s fruitless.

It’s dead.

My car is dead.

“What else?” I ask as I pad back to the bathroom. “I hate asking my family for help. I’m almost thirty, I shouldn’t have to ask for help.”

I decide against the shower and instead take a sponge bath. I’ll need to wash my hair in the morning, but I’ll do that in the sink.

At least I can wash my jeans in cold water.

I check my pockets and pull out the key that Kane gave back to me during my shift this evening.

I hold the brushed-gold-colored key up in the light.

If what that Bill guy said is true, there’s enough money waiting for me that I could not only fix what needs fixing but put plenty away for future emergencies, too. I could even pay Kane back for the down payment on my house.