Chapter 1 The Red Paper

The paper was red.

That was the first thing I noticed before I even read the words.

It was taped across the glass door of my nonprofit's office, crooked and bold, fluttering in the cold New York wind like it wanted everyone passing by to see my failure.

FINAL NOTICE.

My chest tightened. I stopped short on the sidewalk, my bag slipping down my shoulder as the city rushed around me. Cars honked. Someone laughed behind me. A delivery truck rattled past. The world kept moving while I stood there, frozen, staring at the thing that could take everything away.

"This can't be real," I whispered, though no one was listening.

I peeled the notice off the glass, the tape resisting for just a second before giving way. The paper felt thin and cheap in my hands, but the weight of it pressed straight into my ribs. I folded it quickly and shoved it into my bag like hiding it might make it disappear.

Inside, the office smelled faintly of dust and old coffee. The heater clicked but didn't turn on. The lights flickered once before settling into a dull hum. This place wasn't much-peeling paint, mismatched chairs, donated toys stacked in the corner-but it was mine. It was the one thing I'd built with my own hands.

I locked the door behind me and leaned my forehead against the cool glass.

Breathe, Jane.

My breath came out shaky anyway.

For four years, this space had been full of noise. Kids arguing over crayons. Volunteers laughing too loudly. Music playing from someone's phone while boxes of donated books were unpacked. Today, there was only silence. It wrapped around me, thick and heavy.

I crossed the room slowly, my boots echoing against the scuffed wooden floor. My desk sat where I'd left it the night before, cluttered with files, sticky notes, and a half-empty mug that still smelled like burnt coffee.

I sank into the chair and closed my eyes.

Mom was gone.

Dad was dying.

And now this.

Grief doesn't arrive politely. It stacks itself, one loss on top of another, until your chest feels too small to hold it all. I'd barely learned how to live without my mother before the hospital rooms took over my life. Dad's breathing machines. His tired eyes. The way his hand felt weaker every time I held it.

I couldn't lose this place too. I wouldn't.

My phone buzzed on the desk. I flinched, heart jumping, before grabbing it. The screen lit up with my sister's name.

Sophia.

"Hey," I said, forcing steadiness into my voice.

"You're already there, aren't you?" she asked gently.

"How do you know?"

"Because you never sleep when you're stressed. And you're always stressed."

I managed a weak smile. "I got a notice on the door."

There was a pause. I could hear her breathing on the other end. "What kind of notice?"

I looked down at my bag. "The kind that tells you time is almost up."

"I'm coming," she said immediately. "Don't argue."

"I wasn't going to."

By the time she arrived, I was still sitting at my desk, staring at the same wall like it might offer answers. The door opened, letting in a rush of cold air and the familiar scent of Sophia's vanilla lotion.

She took one look at my face and crossed the room without a word, pulling me into her arms.

I broke.

I pressed my face into her shoulder, my fingers gripping her coat as everything I'd been holding back finally spilled over. She didn't rush me. She never did. She just rubbed slow circles on my back, grounding me the way she always had since we were kids hiding from thunderstorms under the bed.

"I'm so tired," I said into her jacket.

"I know," she whispered.

We sat like that for a while, the city humming faintly outside the walls.

"I messed up," I said finally, pulling back. "I trusted the wrong person. He promised funding. Said he believed in what we were doing. And I believed him."

Sophia's jaw tightened. "That doesn't make this your fault."

"It feels like it is."

She shook her head. "You've been carrying everyone for years, Jane. Mom. Dad. These kids. Me. You're allowed to stumble."

I laughed softly, bitter. "Funny. Daniel used to say something like that."

Her eyes flicked to mine. "You're thinking about him again."

"I never stopped," I admitted.

I hated that truth. I hated how his name still sat somewhere inside me, like a mark that never really went away.

I kept thinking about that night. Both of us on the hood of his car, the city lights glowing around us. His fingers were wrapped around mine, holding tight, like there was no way he'd ever let go.

"No matter what happens," he'd said, his voice quiet but sure, "I'm not leaving you."

But he did. And somehow... my heart never figured out how to leave him back.

The memory came uninvited, sharp and clear. Daniel standing in the rain, refusing to meet my eyes. Saying he needed more. Someone more accomplished. Someone who fit the future he wanted. I'd watched him walk away, choosing ambition while I stood there feeling small and left behind.

"I wasn't enough," I said quietly.

Sophia reached for my hand. "He was wrong."

Before I could answer, the phone rang.

I stared at it, dread pooling in my stomach.

"Answer it," Sophia said softly.

I did.

"Miss Riley," the landlord said, his voice flat and tired. "Your payment hasn't come through."

"I'm working on it," I said quickly. "I just need..."

"You've had time," he interrupted. "If the balance isn't paid in seventy-two hours, you'll be locked out. Permanently."

The line went dead.

I lowered the phone slowly.

Sophia's face had gone pale. "Jane..."

Seventy-two hours.

I looked around the office, at the chipped desks and donated toys and walls filled with kids' drawings.

Three days to save everything.

Or lose it all.