ia's

in the lobby, my stomach dropped.

calls, completely unaware that the man standing near her d

cto

as he watched me approach. Without giving him a chance to speak, I

u doing here

his arms acr

e for my

lse pounded in my ears.

ad across his fac

en a little. A bitter laugh almost es

el

e touched. If selling out his own daughter boug

work address?"

d. "He was ver

the disappointment. My father wasn't protecting his fam

t his phone. "Yo

eral messages before st

d made. The date I had committed to making th

's the

efly. God. I wasn't

tasted like humiliation.

ession remain

ng for more time

kno

won't chan

ng because th

ard. "Just on

won't solve a problem you've been

right. The debt had become a monster. Every payme

eas

Victor simpl

pathetic. It sounded tired. As if he

phone back into his pock

ked. "

you twenty

d briefly ins

cto

t tha

d me. "If I don't have the mone

n my spine. "Wha

o my eyes. "It means I

ention. Ethan Blackwell. He walked through the lobby with expensi

et him pass. He didn't even glance in my direction

t he was a friend. Maybe he simply didn't care. Whate

wed my gaze.

odd

r smi

ce working for

Not anymore. A few moments later, Victor left. And with

urs. That was

there for several seconds before forcing myself towar

office and shut the door. The silence felt unbearable. Mom. Leo. The hospital bil

Not today. Not after that. I was halfway tow

phi

toward me before I could escape. Conc

leaving

called me from home." Th

"Is everyt

cour

ly. But I wasn't about to

died me c

s we stepped inside, the crowded space

ok okay," he

oked

just

. "My love, you need to

e made me u

Emeka was

ed. Not when my life was already such a disa

ed out. "I'll s

t. Outside, I climbed into a cab and gave the dri

. Twenty-four hours. If I couldn't pay him, he would take the house. My mother's house. The only

was pounding. I paid the driver an

at might save me. My savings. It wasn't much. Three thousand dollars. But it was something. Every extra

d searching.

s. Nothing. Under t

ng quicken

ere. Panic exploded inside me. I tore through the wardrob

f the room. My heart stopped. The savings

seconds, I s

ocess what I

e person who had a spare key to my apartme

ollars I had spent months saving was gone. Ev