Chapter 1: An Offer

 

FAITH

I pushed the door open, the familiar creak echoing through the small hallway of our apartment. My feet felt like lead after a long shift, and all I could think about was the stack of assignments waiting for me on my desk. 

But tonight wasn’t about that. 

It was my mom's birthday, and even though I couldn’t afford much, I had managed to bring home her favorite cake. I glanced down at the white box in my hands, hoping it would be enough to make her smile.

"Mom?" I called out, stepping inside. 

The apartment felt eerily quiet, but I figured she might be in her room, probably resting after a long day of work herself.

As I made my way down the hallway, I heard something—a faint rustling sound coming from her bedroom. 

My heart quickened. I wasn’t expecting anyone else here. “Mom?” I called again, louder this time, but no answer came.

I pushed the door open, and my breath hitched in my throat.

There he was—my dad, Ezra, rummaging through my wardrobe like he had every right to be there. 

My heart dropped. What was he even doing here? He hasn't lived with us for years.

“Dad?” My voice came out sharper than I intended. He didn’t stop, didn’t even look up, just kept rifling through my things. “What are you doing here?”

Finally, he glanced up, his gaze cold. “None of your business,” he muttered, his hand now pulling out a small wad of cash I had stashed away. 

No, no, no.

My chest tightened. 

That money… I had been saving it for weeks, trying to put together enough to get a birthday gift for Austin, my boyfriend. His birthday was coming up, and I wanted it to be special. And now, it was in my dad’s hands.

“Dad, stop! That’s my money!” I moved toward him, panic rising in my throat. “Please, just leave it. You can’t take that.”

He let out a bitter laugh, stuffing the cash into his pocket as if it meant nothing to him, but I knew it meant everything to me.

“Why do you always have to make things so difficult, Faith?” His voice was laced with irritation. He made a move to walk past me, but I blocked his way. My hands were trembling, but I stood firm.

“I said leave it!” I reached for his arm, trying to pull the money from his grip. “You can’t just walk in here and take things that don’t belong to you!”

Before I knew it, his hand lashed out. The sharp slap cracked across my face, sending a wave of shock through my body. I stumbled back, the sting searing my skin.

“Dad!” I cried out, but he wasn’t done. His hand grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking me toward him. Pain shot through my scalp, and I gasped, struggling against him, my hands pushing at his chest.

“Stay out of this,” he hissed, his grip tightening. I could feel the anger radiating off him in waves, the way it always did when he was cornered.

“Let go of me!” I shouted, the pain turning into raw desperation. 

For a moment, I thought he might listen, that he would realize what he was doing, but his eyes stayed cold, distant.

How did it come to this… How had my own father become this… stranger who could hurt me like this?

“Let go!” I screamed again, trying to claw my way free from his grip. 

“Shut up,” he growled, and before I could react, he kneed me hard in the stomach.

The pain shot through my body like a lightning bolt, knocking the wind out of me. I gasped, doubling over, clutching my abdomen as I collapsed to the floor. 

“Faith!” I heard my mom’s voice from the doorway, and through the haze, I saw her rush into the room. “Ezra, stop!”

My dad backed away, but his eyes still burned with fury. Mom stepped between us, her arms outstretched as if she could shield me from him. “Just take the money and go, Ezra. Leave her alone.”

“No!” I croaked, forcing the words out through the pain. I pushed myself up, my body trembling. “No, you can’t let him take it.” I looked at her, pleading with everything I had left.

“Faith…” Mom looked at me in that way she did when she was asking me to compromise for the sake of peace. But I couldn't afford that tonight.

“That money is important to me, Mom,” I said, roughly rubbing the tears out of the corner of my eyes. “Things with Austin haven’t been good... I-I was going to use it for his birthday. This is my last chance to make things right with him. Otherwise, I will lose him.”

Mom’s face softened. She turned back to Dad, shaking her head. “Ezra, just go. You don’t need the money that badly. Leave her with what she’s worked for.”

He hesitated, his eyes flicking between us, and for a moment, I thought maybe he would listen. Maybe, just this once, he would choose not to ruin everything. 

But then, he scoffed, reaching into his pocket to pull out the money again, taunting me with it.

“Last chance, huh?” His voice dripped with sarcasm. “You really think some expensive gift is gonna fix your pathetic relationship? That boy’s probably already moved on.”

His words hit me like another punch, all the warnings from my friends echoing along with it, everyone who said the same thing about Austin, but I still held my ground.

“Please, Dad,” I whispered, hating how small my voice sounded, how powerless I felt. It was like I was back to being that little ten year old girl who was watching her dad abuse her mom and could do nothing against him. “Just… don’t do this.”

It was a futile attempt. I could see it in his eyes—he was never going to change. He was always going to take whatever he wanted, no matter how much it hurt us.

“Faith,” Mom said softly, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Just let him have the money. It’s not worth this fight. I’ll figure something out. We always do.”

Her words snapped something inside me. The pain, the exhaustion, the constant struggle to keep everything from falling apart—it all bubbled to the surface at once. My eyes stung, but this time it wasn’t from tears. It was from pure, unrelenting anger. 

I refused to be that helpless little girl who stood in the corner and was unable to even raise her voice.

“Figure something out?” I spat, shrugging her hand off my shoulder. “That’s your solution? To just let him walk all over us like he always does?” My voice was rising, shaking with every word. I felt like I was about to explode. “Do whatever you want, Mom! Just give him everything you want! Give him this house, my money, your money, everything!”

She stepped back, her face falling. “Faith, please—”

“No!” I cut her off, the anger burning hotter, my chest tightening with every breath. “I don’t want anything here! I’m so tired of this—of him, of you giving in, of pretending like we can fix this when we can’t!”

I stormed out of the room, my heart racing as I grabbed my jacket, ignoring her calls for me to stop. 

I didn’t care anymore. I didn’t care about the money, or the house, or anything. I just needed to get out.

The front door slammed behind me as I burst onto the street, the cool evening air hitting my face, but it did nothing to cool the fire inside me. 

I could hear the distant hum of cars, the faint sound of footsteps, but it all felt like noise in the background. I was shaking, my hands trembling as I shoved them into my pockets, my mind spiraling with everything I couldn’t say.

How could she let him win? How could she just give in like that—again? It was because of her weak will that their divorce wasn't still finalized.

I didn’t know where I was going, I just kept walking, the streets blurring past me as I moved faster. 

I barely noticed the traffic ahead, the street lights flickering above. I stepped off the curb, too lost in my thoughts to even look—

The blare of a car horn split the air, and I froze, my heart leaping into my throat. I turned my head just in time to see the headlights, bright and blinding, coming straight at me.

And then—everything went black.

###

I woke up to the smell of antiseptic, the sterile scent pulling me out of the fog in my head. My eyes blinked open slowly, taking in the pristine white room around me. 

Where am I?

I sat up too quickly, wincing as a sharp pain shot through my side. My heart raced, panic rising in my chest. This wasn’t a regular hospital. The room was far too luxurious—elegant furnishings, fresh flowers on the bedside table, and soft classical music playing in the background.

I couldn’t afford this.

“Oh no, no, no…” I whispered, gripping the blanket tightly. How was I going to pay for this? I barely had enough money to get through school, let alone a private clinic like this.

Just as the panic began to overwhelm me, the door opened. 

A man walked in, dressed in what appeared to be a suit almost as expensive as my whole month's utilities and bills. His hair was slicked back, his eyes unreadable.

“You’re awake,” he said, his voice calm, almost too calm. “I’m Jared Williams.”

“Where am I?” I asked, my voice barely steady. “How did I get here? I don’t—I don’t have the money to pay for this.”

“You’re at a private clinic,” he said, stepping closer but keeping his distance. “You were in an accident.”

My heart skipped a beat. Memories of the street, the headlights, and the car crashing into me flooded back. I swallowed hard. “An accident?”

“Yes,” Jared nodded. “You walked in front of my boss’s car. He tried his best to stop, but it was too late. He’s injured as well.”

Fresh wave of guilt washed over me. “Oh, my God… Is he okay? I—I don’t have any money right now, but I’ll figure something out. I can pay for his medical bills. Just please don't file a lawsuit. I’ll—” I was rambling, the words spilling out before I could stop them.

Jared raised a hand, silencing me. “It’s alright. You don’t have to pay us anything.”

I blinked, confused. “What? But—”

“In fact,” Jared continued smoothly, “we’re willing to pay you. One hundred thousand dollars.”

My breath caught in my throat. “W-What?” I stammered. “Why would you pay me? I’m the one who caused the accident.”

Jared’s eyes darkened slightly, but his expression didn’t change. “The task is simple. All you have to do is sleep with my boss.”