8 The feeling of Freedom

Madison woke up to the persistent buzzing of her phone. Still bleary-eyed, she reached for it, struggling against the bright screen. She realized Isabella had bombarded her with messages, worried about her whereabouts since Madison forgot to text her last night about not returning home. In a daze, Madison reassured Isabella she was okay and claimed she was at her house. After placing the phone back on the nightstand, she tried to drift back to sleep, only to be disrupted again by its buzzing. This time, it wasn't Isabella but an email from Blu Ray Films, confirming she had passed the audition and was due to start working at noon. Ethan had come through, fulfilling his promise. Madison felt relief and joy at landing the job; it meant she could finally earn her own money instead of relying on Ethan's credit cards during her ongoing divorce. She needed to carve out her own path, both financially and personally. She placed her phone down on the nightstand and tried to go ba