Chapter 2 The Decision

Chapter Two

Ava walked home with a heavy heart. The night air was cool against her skin, but inside, she was burning with doubt, fear, and guilt. Her steps felt heavier with each corner she turned until she found herself standing in front of Evan's apartment.

She hadn't planned to come here.

Still, she knocked.

The door creaked open, and the smell of cheap whiskey hit her first. Evan was slouched on the couch, red-eyed and slurring, tears running freely down his face.

"Ava..." he mumbled. "She's dying. My mom... the doctors said she won't last the year without the surgery."

Her chest clenched. She stepped closer, kneeling beside him.

"I'll do something about it," she whispered, gently placing her hand over his. "I promise."

He leaned into her touch and closed his eyes.

By the time Ava got home, dawn was already threatening the sky. She opened the door quietly, but Rosie and Jorla were both wide awake, waiting.

"There you are," Rosie said, arms crossed. "Where have you been?"

Jorla looked at her with concern. "You okay?"

Ava didn't respond. She couldn't. If she opened her mouth, the truth might fall out. Instead, she walked past them in silence and went straight to her room.

They watched her go, worried but knowing better than to push.

The next day at work, Ava could barely focus. Her hands trembled as she applied her lipstick. Her eyeliner was uneven. Her costume felt tighter than usual. She kept rehearsing it in her mind tonight. The hotel. Five million.

Her mind wasn't on the music or the stage. Every laugh, every cheer, every song sounded far away. She was floating in a fog of fear.

At one point, Carla touched her arm. "You okay?"

Ava nodded quickly. "Yeah... just tired."

Carla didn't press. She knew.

Later That Night – The Hotel

The room was silent except for the soft ticking of a wall clock. Ava sat alone at the edge of a luxurious king-sized bed, wrapped in a silk robe. Her legs crossed, her fingers trembling in her lap.

Her heart was racing.

She didn't want this. Every cell in her body screamed to run.

But she couldn't.

Not when Evan's mother's life was hanging in the balance. Not when this money could change everything.

The door handle turned.

Ava held her breath.