Chapter 2

2

In my room, I stared at a yellowed photo of Zach and me on my desk.

My mind drifted back to the old days.

Zach's family had been my neighbors for over a decade before they moved to the city.

When I was seventeen, my parents tried to sell me off for a dowry.

They wanted me to marry a man twenty years my senior to be a stepmother.

Rebellion did nothing, so I stole some cash and hopped a bus to the city.

I didn't know anyone here, just the vague address of the family that had moved away.

Luckily, just as I was about to collapse from hunger, I saw Zach.

From then on, I lived with his family.

His parents knew what my family was like and raised me like their own daughter.

Five years ago, Zach got into the university, and I got into the music conservatory.

But then his father died, and his mother fell ill with a terminal diagnosis.

The family lost its income overnight.

The compensation from the factory barely covered the medical bills.

There was no way we could both afford tuition.

So, I made a choice. I gave up my chance at a stable office job.

Relying on my voice, I insisted on singing at the lounge.

Zach and his mother hated the idea, but I was stubborn.

Frank, the owner, gave them his word that I would only be singing on stage.

So, I spent my nights earning money for his mother's treatment and his degree.

It was the most impulsive decision I'd made in my twenty years.

But even now, I didn't regret it.

I just felt a bit foolish as I looked at the photo.

I used to dream that once Zach graduated and got a job, I could finally quit.

I thought I'd go to night school, get a degree, and find a quiet job.

Then we'd be together properly, buy a small house, and live a happy life.

But he graduated, and I saved up enough money, only to realize I was alone in that dream.

It turned out these five years were entirely my own wishful thinking.

Tonight, Zach had clearly brought Clarissa over just to force me out.

After the talk, he took her home and actually came back to sleep at the house.

It was rare, as he'd been living at the lab lately.

A knock sounded at my door, and he stood there, watching me pack.

His face shifted when he saw the suitcases, his tone unreadable.

"Sadie, if you don't have a place yet, there's no need to rush."

I didn't look up. "I have a place."

Zach frowned, clearly not believing me.

"Sadie, have you considered changing jobs?"

I stopped packing and looked him in the eye. "To what?"

"Clarissa's uncle owns a high-end boutique. He can get you a job as a sales clerk."

"It's a respectable position with housing included. You won't have to look for an apartment."

I wanted to refuse immediately since I was leaving the state anyway.

But Zach became insistent, lecturing me about how a girl shouldn't work in a club.

He said it wasn't safe and he was worried about me.

It was almost funny, considering I had worked there for five years to pay his rent.

The next morning, I couldn't get out of it.

Zach practically dragged me to the boutique and told me to do the interview.

I walked into the shop with a heavy heart.

A man in his thirties with yellowing teeth greeted me.

"You must be the girl Clarissa mentioned. I'm Barney."

I nodded. "Hello. I'm Sadie."

Years of working at the club had sharpened my instincts.

I saw the way he looked me up and down, and my guard went up instantly.

Sure enough, he leaned back against a counter, his tone mocking.

"Sadie, right? Heard you're a singer at a dive bar. Why don't you give us a song?"

"Let's see if you're actually any good. Maybe if I'm entertained, I'll let you stay."

The other sales clerks around him burst into cruel laughter.

"No wonder. She does have that look. Pretty, but cheap."

"Why the sudden career change? Did you get caught doing something you shouldn't?"