There was a pause before Chloe hesitated, "Maybe… maybe I could talk to my boss—"
"No." Bella cut her off, shaking her head even though Chloe couldn't see her. "Don't bother. I understand you want to help but I have another idea. Hopefully, this would help me raise the money I need."
"What idea?" Chloe asked suspiciously.
Bella swallowed hard, her voice low but steady. "I'm thinking of going to one of those clubs. You know... find some rich, spoiled brat who'll pay to spend the night with me so I can use the money to sort out....."
Chloe gasped, cutting Bella off before she could even finish. "Bella! How can such idea ever criss your mind? That's not you, Bella. Besides, you're a...." she hesitated, lowering her voice, "you're still a virgin. How can you think of something like that?"
"I know I'm still a virgin, Chloe," Bella said firmly. "I know I'd once talked about keeping myself till I get married but right now, it really doesn't matter anymore. Not if it means saving Mom's life and getting the house back. I need to do something, Chloe. Otherwise I might lose not just the house but God forbid my mom too and I can't risk it."
"Are you sure? Bella, don't do anything you can't live with."
"Well, as long as l can get the money, Chloe," she said, her voice breaking but her resolve hardening, "I can do anything."
There was silence on the line before Chloe spoke again, her tone filled with worry. "How about you hold on a little so I can ask around?"
"Chloe....."
Chloe cut in before Isabella could finish. "I know you said no but just let me ask, please. I can't let you make any decision you might end up regretting—not if I can help it. Just let me, please," Chloe said, her voice carrying a hint of plea.
Bella closed her eyes, drawing in a shaky breath. "Fine. But if by morning I don't hear from you then I'm going to do it."
"Alright. I'll check with him. Everything will be fine," Chloe said, and Bella nodded.
But deep down, she knew nothing was fine. And after tonight, nothing ever would be again.
Bella ended the call with Chloe, her hand trembling as she lowered the phone. The words still echoed in her ear: "Bella… don't do anything you can't live with."
She leaned against the cool tiled wall of the hospital restroom, her reflection staring back at her from the spotted mirror. Her eyes were swollen, her curly jet black hair a mess, her lips cracked from hours of biting them in silent frustration. She barely recognized the woman looking back.
"Who are you?" she whispered to the glass. The woman in the reflection didn't answer.
Her mind wouldn't stop spinning. Every door she had knocked on was shut. Every option, gone. And now her mother's life hung in the balance, not in the hands of the doctors, but in the cruel, invisible grip of money.
She pushed herself away from the mirror, gripping her bag tightly. She couldn't collapse. Not now. Not when Rachel needed her. Not when her mother had no one else but just her and Rachel.
But that thought… that reckless, ugly thought she had shoved down minutes ago came crawling back up, whispering at the edges of her mind. She shook her head violently, as though she could fling it away, but it stuck, gnawing at her like hunger.
If Chloe could get the money, then she wouldn't have to do anything reckless.
She left the restroom and walked back toward her mother's room. She paused at the doorway. Rachel was inside, sitting by the bed, holding their mother's frail hand. Their mother lay unconscious, her chest rising and falling slowly, the machines keeping steady rhythm.
Why did all this have to happen all at once? She thought with a shake of her head.
Rachel looked up, her eyes red-rimmed but hopeful. "Did the bank…?" she asked, voice breaking on the last word.
Because Bella had rushed into the Doctor's office when she arrived, Rachel hadn't had the time to ask about the loan.
Bella forced a smile, though it burned her lips to do so. "Not yet. I'm… still working on it."
Rachel nodded, clutching their mother's hand tighter, not pressing further. But Bella saw it — the flicker of doubt in Rachel's eyes, the fear that her older sister didn't have an answer this time.
The weight crushed her chest. She couldn't let Rachel see the truth: that she was out of options and that they may lose their home in four days. That the idea blooming in her mind was the only one left if Chloe didn't get anything.
That night, after Rachel fell asleep in the chair by their mother's bedside, Bella slipped out of the hospital. The air outside was heavy, thick with the scent of rain on the horizon. Streetlights flickered, and the city of Zeden pulsed around her with its usual indifference.
She wandered aimlessly at first, her steps guided only by desperation. The thought kept circling back, louder with every step. Chloe had called to let her know her boss was sick and she couldn't even get to him.
That reckless thought was the only solution left for her but for some reasons, she still could bring herself to believe this was the reality of her life. She mused as she wandered aimlessly.
By the time she reached the end of the block, she couldn't fight her tears and frustration anymore.
She stopped at a corner, staring across the street where neon lights glowed above a lounge. A pair of women in short dresses laughed as they walked out, slipping into a waiting car. A man in a dark suit leaned against the entrance, smoking. Money exchanged hands casually between strangers, like it meant nothing.
Bella's stomach churned. Was this what it had come to? Selling herself? Reducing her dignity to a transaction? The very idea made her want to retch. But then the image of her mother lying in that hospital bed returned — pale, weak, helpless.
It's just money, she told herself. Just money. And once I have it, this nightmare would end.
Tears blurred her vision. Her mother was fighting. Fighting to stay alive. How could she not fight to keep her alive too?
She turned away from the lounge, unable to make herself step inside. Not yet. She wasn't ready yet.
Bella didn't sleep that night. She sat on the edge of her bed in the dark apartment, her hands clasped so tightly her knuckles ached. Her father's picture rested on the nightstand beside her. She reached for it, tracing the outline of his smile with her fingertip.
What would you think of me, Dad? She wondered bitterly. Would you hate me if I did it? Or would you just want Mom to live, no matter what it cost me?
The silence in the room gave no answer, only deepened the hollowness in her chest. If she kept delaying, even this house was going to slip away and both her and her family were going to be on the streets.
The sun was barely up when Bella returned to the hospital. She plastered on a brave face for Rachel, who immediately asked, "Any progress?"
"Working on it," Bella repeated, though her chest burned with the lie.
"How long, Bella? Are you sure we can save mom? Is there really a way forward?" Rachel asked tearfully.
Bella forced a nod. "There is and I'll surely fix it, trust me."
She sat by her mother's bed, stroking her hand gently, whispering promises only half-formed in her own mind. "I'll fix this, Mom. I swear I'll fix this. Even if I have to give everything I am."
And in that moment, Bella knew — she had already made her choice.