I sank back into the sofa cushions and uncurled my fingers.

The crushing fear of going bankrupt had kept me up for three nights straight.

I’d spent hours looking into personal loans and working out the penalty for cashing out my little retirement account.

Now the math was all solved.

The tight muscles in my neck finally loosened.

I could pay the hospital in full.

I could buy groceries for two months without checking the price tags.

“You don’t have to do that,” I said.