I am a woman

Laura has spent her whole life under the thumb of a domineering father who equates love with control. When the weight of his relentless criticism finally snaps, she packs a small bag, boards a train, and heads for New York City, determined to build a life on her own terms. The opening chapters follow her desperate escape from a plush Chicago apartment, the bitter farewell that never happens out loud, and the shaky promise she makes to herself: to survive without his approval.

In the bustling anonymity of the city, Laura seeks a modest job in journalism—the one path her father once forced upon her—as a way to claim independence and prove she can stand alone. As she navigates cramped apartments, new acquaintances, and the raw edge of urban life, the novel explores how the echoes of a toxic upbringing linger even as she steps into a world where she can finally hear her own voice.