I Bought a $40 Couch at a Garage Sale — Three Nights Later, Someone Tried Breaking Into My Apartment for It

I was 26, standing in the center of a mostly vacant flat, questioning if being on my own was meant to be this isolating. The room carried a slight scent of new paint and dirt. Each noise bounced off the walls — my steps, the crinkling shopping bags, even my own breaths. I possessed a couple of folding seats, a bed pad on the ground, and a lopsided side table.

That made up my whole sitting area.