CHAPTER 2

"When are you going to stop, Rose? Huh? Don't you ever intend to settle down for good?"

Rose looked away, refusing to answer, and walked straight toward her bedroom. Daryl followed her inside, closing the door behind them.

"Talk to me, Rose. Is this really the life you want? How many more men are you going to let pass through your life? Don't you feel any pity for yourself?!" Daryl’s voice broke, rising in pitch as his entire body trembled with the sheer weight of his desperation.

"What do you want from me, Daryl? What exactly is not clear to you?" Rose snapped, turning on him. "Huh? Look at you! Don't you feel sorry for yourself? How many more times do I have to push you away? Is everything you see right now not enough to make you stop bothering me?! I'm a dirty woman, Daryl. There are plenty of good girls out there who actually suit you."

Rose’s eyes burned with unshed tears, her gaze locked onto his. Daryl didn't back down. Step by step, he closed the distance and gripped both of her shoulders.

"Because I love you," he whispered, his grip tightening gently. "I wish it were as easy as you want it to be. Do you honestly think I’d take this long to chase after you if I could just walk away? Do you think I want to do this stupid, humiliating routine? But what am I supposed to do, Rose? This stupid heart of mine chose you. Out of everyone, you're the one this goddamn heart chose to love."

Rose forced herself to look away again, turning her back on him. She quickly wiped away a stray tear before it could track down her cheek. Sensing her wall cracking, Daryl wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, pulling her flush against his chest.

"I love you," he choked out, sobbing openly against her shoulder. "I love you so much, even when it completely tears me apart. But I can't bear the thought of giving up and losing you from my life, Rose."

Rose’s heart pounded violently against her ribs, her tears finally falling incessantly. The heavy warmth of his embrace was a sweet torture.

"Go home," she whispered softly, her defenses momentarily exhausted. "I'm tired, and I just want to rest. Just... pick me up later."

"Sister! Sister, wake up!"

A violent jolt shattered Rose’s sleep. She slowly forced her heavy eyelids open, staring up at her younger brother.

"What is it? Are you blind?!" she barked, her voice thick with exhaustion and annoyance. "Can't you see I'm sleeping, you dumb ass?!"

"Do you have any money with you?" her brother asked, completely unfazed by her anger. "Come on, sister. I just need some cash, please..."

Rose groaned, dragging both palms down her face to force herself awake. She took a deep, steadying breath and stood up. "Wait for me outside," she muttered.

Her brother immediately scurried out of the room. Once she was alone, Rose reached into her pocket and retrieved a small key. Her handbag had a lock on it—a bitter necessity, because she knew any money earned from selling her body through the night would vanish instantly if left exposed to her family.

She unlocked the bag, retrieved a bill, and stepped out into the main room.

"Here. Take it and get the hell out of my sight," Rose frowned, thrusting the cash into his hand.

"Just this?" He looked down at the single bill, counting it with a disappointed scowl. "What the hell is this, huh?"

Rose’s eyebrows knit together in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Sister... where is one thousand pesos going to go nowadays? Everything is too pricey," he grumbled, waving the note in the air.

"Wow!" Rose’s eyes widened with pure fury. "Then why don't you try stretching your own lazy bones so you can earn your own cash instead of constantly depending on me?!"

Losing her patience entirely, she grabbed the nearest object on the table and hurled it at his head. He ducked just in time, laughing nervously as he bolted out the front door.

"Skinny little parasite!" Rose shouted after him.

She collapsed onto a plastic chair, suddenly feeling ancient, her body aching from the previous night's labor. Before she could even catch her breath, her mother emerged from the back hallway, wearing a nervous, calculated smile.

"Daughter... Mrs. Dolores is already demanding the payment for our credit," her mother began, rubbing her hands together anxiously. "She’s threatening to put me in jail if..."

Rose let out a sharp, cynical laugh, cutting her off. "How much is it?"

"Well... overall... including the groceries we took from her store..."

"Just say the damn number, Mom!" Rose shouted, her patience completely evaporating.

"Fifty thousand pesos."

"What?!" Rose stood up so fast her chair screeched against the floor. "Are you kidding me?!"

"Hey, Rose, lower your voice—"

"Did you gamble it away again?" Rose demanded, her eyes narrowing as the truth clicked into place.

"Rose... you know that’s the only thing I have left for fun," her mother whined, shifting the blame. "I’m sorry, alright? But she really will throw me in jail if I don't pay her right now. Surely you have some money saved up in that room of yours."

Rose stared at her mother, a suffocating wave of grief washing over her. Tears blurred her vision, her lips trembling violently as she fought back the urge to scream something unforgivable.

"Mom... for God's sake," Rose whispered, her voice cracking under the strain. "I am so tired. How much longer am I going to be your slave?"

"That is a terrible thing to say, Rose! Have you forgotten who raised you—"

"Are you really going to blame me for that?!" Rose interrupted, her voice cracking. "Maybe it would have been better if you had just aborted me while I was still in your belly! At least my life wouldn't have been this miserable!"

Crack.

A firm, stinging slap echoed through the small house, forcing Rose’s head to the side. Her cheek burned, but she didn't have the emotional strength to argue anymore. Sobbing silently, she walked back into her bedroom, unlocked her bag, and counted out the fifty thousand pesos.

She walked out and slammed the stack of bills into her mother’s waiting hands.

"See? You were going to give it to me eventually," her mother muttered, greedily pocketing the cash. "Why did we even need to argue? What did you get out of throwing a tantrum? Absolutely nothing. It’s so simple, Rose, but you always insist on making things complicated."

Without another word, her mother turned and left the house.

Rose collapsed back onto her bed, burying her face in her pillow as heavy, heartbreaking sobs tore from her chest. Her ribs literally ached from the weight of the burdens she had carried for so long.

As she lay there, the bitter memories of how she ended up here flooded her mind. She had been only fifteen years old when her mother first dragged her to the club, forcing her to inherit the family trade. Rose had begged, cried, and screamed back then, but her mother had remained completely deaf to her pleas. Eventually, the repetition wore her down until she became numb to the horror. She was trapped in a cycle with no escape.

Every single time Rose tried to change her path, the universe seemed to conspire against her. If it wasn't her sick brother needing emergency hospital runs, it was her mother getting arrested and demanding bail money. The streets always dragged her back.

"Rose... I'm here. Let's go."

The sound of that specific voice instantly cleared the heavy fog in Rose’s mind. It was the only voice in the world that brought her pure, unadulterated joy.

She rushed to the door, a bright, genuine smile illuminating her face. "I don't have to work tonight! Do you want to go out?!"

Daryl’s deep dimples flashed as a massive, boyish smile spread across his face. "Of course I want to. You don't even have to ask. I'd love nothing more. Where are we going? Though... Rose, I haven't received my paycheck yet..." He looked down at his shoes, his cheeks flushing with a hint of shame.

Rose chuckled, her heart warming at his modesty. "Look at you, always full of drama. Come on."

She grabbed his hand, ready to pull him out of the house, but Daryl suddenly planted his feet. He stopped, holding her back. Rose looked at him, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

A second of loaded silence passed between them in the empty entryway.

"What is it?" Rose asked.

"Um... nobody's home right now," Daryl whispered, his voice incredibly tender, his eyes darkening with a mixture of shyness and deep desire. "So... um..."

Rose let out a soft sigh, entirely understanding what he was hinting at. After a lifetime of being taken, this was the one time she felt wanted.

"Just a quickie," she murmured with a knowing smile.

"Yes!" Daryl cheered, a victorious, delighted grin breaking across his face as he pulled her back into the quiet safety of her room.