Chapter 19

Anita stepped into her apartment and flipped the light switch. Nothing.

It was cold inside. She went to the refrigerator and opened the door. The light didn't come on. She dug a flashlight out of a drawer and went to the circuit breaker in the hallway. None of the breakers were tripped.

Somewhere in the back of her memory, she remembered that October was the last month of the year it was legal for the power company to cut off a customer for non-payment of bills. She had hoped to skate through to November before her debt hit the critical threshold, but hadn't made it.

Coming home to a cold, dark apartment after Marshall had ended a mind-blowingly happy weekend by just sending her away was the absolute last thing she needed. She took off the fancy outfit his dominatrix aide had snuck into the apartment, kicking it into a corner. Literally kicking the shoes turned out to be a terrible idea, with her feet still bruised and sore from when Marshall had caned them the day before.