Brandy’s shoulders trembled violently as another broken laugh escaped her throat. The sound was ragged, hollow, and painfully self-deprecating, carrying the bitterness of someone watching the final scraps of their dignity crumble away in real time.
“Of course it was just a transaction,” she choked out, nodding weakly to herself as if finally forcing herself to swallow the truth.
“Of course someone like me is just a pastime to men! A tool!”
Another laugh burst out of her, sharper this time, teetering dangerously close to hysteria.
She pressed a trembling, dirt-stained hand to her face, a hysterical sob ripping through her chest.
“Of course! Ha… haha… of course! What the hell was I even thinking? Someone like you would never spare someone like me a second glance!”
Her voice cracked vio
