You can’t really have your cake and eat it too, when I left my controlling abusive husband, I left the apartment that was under my name and found a different place, one massively cheaper (and yes, crappier) than the one I left. I had to end up paying the rent of two places just to ride out the lease of that place and protect my credit, but believe me, it was the least amount of drama I could make happen. I cut off all communications, left in the middle of the night, the only bad thing was having to come back when the lease ended to get my stuff, but by that time I had family with me to support me and protect me.

If you really do want the least amount of drama, you might have to pay for it. But in my situation, it was well worth paying! He was dangerous, and if I’d tried to confront him about leaving, there was a real possibility I could have ended up dead. So avoiding drama was of the highest priority!