Chapter 004

“Hey there, beautiful.” A man’s voice called out to her.

Roxy’s eyes moved up from her phone to meet the gaze of the man sitting in the car that just stopped in front of her. His side window was rolled down, one elbow resting casually on the window frame while his other hand remained on the steering wheel.

She dropped her gaze back to her phone, completely ignoring him. Roxy never liked what she did, it was never her dream to end up like this, she always wanted to be a nurse, but the opportunity never came and she chose what could sustain her.

“Oh… playing hard to get, I see,” he commented as he opened the door of his car and stepped out. Roxy kept her eyes on her phone as though she hadn't heard him, but her hand slowly slipped into the pocket of her short dress, her fingers closing tightly around the small canister of pepper spray she always carried with her.

The man was still unaware of her intentions as he walked closer. Roxy's outfit had clearly given him the wrong, or perhaps exactly the right impression. Dressed in a short, revealing outfit and standing alone at the street corner at night, she looked exactly like the other women who came there to offer their services to men driving by. He seemed to assume that her silence was simply part of the game and that she was waiting for him to convince her.

“Come on, sweetheart,” he said with a grin as he stopped in front of her. “You don't have to pretend you don't want the money. How much for the night?”

Roxy finally lifted her eyes from her phone and looked at him. “You should get back in your car.”

The man laughed, apparently finding her response amusing. Instead of listening, he stepped even closer and reached for her waist, his hand barely brushing against her dress when Roxy quickly pulled the pepper spray from her pocket and sprayed it directly into his eyes.

“FUCK!” he screamed, stumbling backward as both hands flew to his face. “My eyes! You fucking bitch!”

Roxy calmly tucked the pepper spray back into her pocket and picked up her phone. “Should've listened when I told you to get back in your car,” she muttered before walking away from him.

She moved past the other women standing along the street corner, some talking to potential clients while others leaned against cars, waiting for someone to stop. Night had fully settled over the city, and this was usually the busiest time. More clients came looking for them at this hour, and Roxy normally would have stayed, but she wasn't in the mood to go back to work.

Instead, she headed toward her car, got inside, and closed the door behind her. Her phone was still in her hand as she continued scrolling slowly through her contacts, her expression growing more serious with every name that passed across the screen. After a few seconds, she finally found the number she was looking for.

Dr. Sam

Roxy pressed the call button and brought the phone to her ear. It rang twice before someone answered.

“Hello, this is Dr. Samuel speaking,” the man said from the other end of the line.

Roxy leaned back against her seat, staring through the windshield at the dark street ahead. “Doctor, it’s Roxy. Is the result out?”

Roxy had noticed some strange symptoms over the last few days, so she had gone to see her doctor. He had told her that they could be some of the side effects of the abortions she had undergone, but he had also asked her to run some tests just to be sure.

“Em… I’m sorry, can we meet in person?” he said with a hint of sorrow in his voice.

“Whatever can be said in person can be said on the phone, Doc. What’s wrong?” she urged, sensing the hesitation in his voice. It was already obvious to Roxy that he had bad news.

“Y… you might not ever be able to…” He paused, struggling to find the right words. “You might never conceive a child because your womb is damaged.”

The news made the phone slip from Roxy’s hand and fall to the base of the car. She remained frozen in her seat, staring blankly through the windshield, her heart racing as the doctor’s words echoed repeatedly in her head.

“Ms. Roxanne… please talk to me. Are you alright?” His voice came faintly from the phone on the floor.

Roxy always wanted a child, but not with any of her clients. The child she wanted would be with the love of her life, the man she was yet to find and fall in love with. She had always dreamed of becoming a mother, and to her, the thought of never being able to give birth made her feel as though her life had lost its purpose.

She didn’t think twice. She started the engine immediately and drove away.

Her hands tightened around the steering wheel as she increased her speed, her vision blurred by the tears gathering in her eyes. She had only one thought in her mind.

She wanted to die. She wanted to end everything.

Roxy drove recklessly through the dark streets, barely paying attention to the road or the people around her. The faster the car moved, the less she seemed to care about what happened to her. She just wanted everything to stop.

She was already heading toward the bridge when someone suddenly appeared in front of her.

Roxy slammed her foot on the brakes.

The car screeched to a sudden stop, coming dangerously close to hitting the person. Roxy froze, her hands still gripping the steering wheel tightly as she stared ahead, her heart pounding violently against her chest.

Then she looked at the person standing in front of her.

“Ellie?”

Ellie stared at the car, equally shocked. She stepped closer and looked through the windshield before her eyes widened in recognition.

“Roxy?” she asked, surprised. “What are you doing here? Where are you coming from, and where are you going?”

Roxy opened her mouth, but no words came out.

“Roxanne?”

Before she could answer, a faint voice suddenly came from the base of the car.

“Roxanne…?”

Ellie frowned and looked down.

“Your phone.”

Roxy glanced down at the phone lying on the floor and quickly picked it up. “Oh…”

She ended the call without another word and turned her attention back to Ellie.

Ellie studied her face for a moment, noticing the tears in her eyes and the strange emptiness in her expression.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Roxy replied quickly, forcing a small smile.

Ellie didn't look convinced.

“But what are you doing here at this time?” Roxy asked.

“I just left from work,” Ellie said. “There was no cab around, so I was hoping to get one.”

“But you can take me home,” she said, opening the passenger door. “You were heading home, right?”

Roxy hesitated for a moment, her eyes drifting toward the road ahead, the road that led to the bridge. Then she looked back at Ellie.

“Yeah,” she whispered. “I was.”

Ellie’s eyes moved over Roxy’s revealing clothes, and her brows furrowed curiously. “Why are you dressed like that?” she asked out of curiosity.

“I… I just wanted to get some fresh air,” Roxy replied with a nervous laugh. “But obviously, I won’t be getting out of my car looking like this.”

Ellie nodded slowly, still trying to connect the dots that didn’t seem to match. There was something strange about Roxy tonight, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

A few moments later, she remembered the question she wanted to ask Roxy. “Yeah… were you able to find the job you told me about?”

“Yeah, about that.” Roxy reached for her phone and handed it to Ellie. “I made a few enquiries and got some information. In fact, a caretaker job just opened this morning at a mansion. You know, one of those private properties reserved for rich people. They’re looking for someone who connects well with children, has a good background, and all that crap.” She shrugged. “What’s more interesting is that you might just be the first person to apply. And the pay is good.”

Ellie's eyes widened as she took the phone and looked at the information on the screen. Her eyes scanned through the details until she stopped at the child’s name.

“Kelon Junior… K.J.” She read aloud.

Roxy nodded. “Yeah.”

Ellie looked at the screen again. “For a child to be named after his father… His father must be damn important.”

“Yep.” Roxy nodded as she took a left turn.

Ellie smiled as she continued reading. “I’ll apply.”

“Then I'll drive you over there tomorrow,” Roxy offered. “Just call me when you’re ready.”

“Thank you, Roxy.”

Roxy smiled. “You’re welcome.”

A few minutes later, they arrived at Ellie’s house. Ellie stepped out of the car and walked toward her door, but just as she was about to go inside, she stopped and turned back.

She looked at Roxy through the open car window. “I know I may not be the most understanding friend, but…” She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. “I’ll help you in whatever little way I can if you’re willing to open up to me, even if it’s just a little.”

Roxy’s expression softened, and sadness flickered across her face. She gave a small nod.

“I’ll let you know if anything bothers me.”

Ellie smiled warmly. “Okay.”

She turned and walked toward the house, leaving Roxy watching her from the car.