As she got them ready, Brianna felt a gnawing emptiness in her chest. The weight of her loneliness and financial struggles was suffocating. She longed for someone to lean on, someone to share the burdens of parenthood. But she pushed those thoughts aside and focused on her children’s happiness.
They boarded a crowded bus, Brianna clutching her worn handbag tightly as she calculated every penny she had left. The ride to the mall felt longer than usual, her mind swirling with anxiety about how she would manage the days ahead. But she refused to let her children see her fear.