"Desperate"

I kept walking without knowing where I was going anymore. My vision stayed blurry from tears while cold wind slapped against my wet skin painfully. Twice, loud car horns nearly sent me stumbling directly into traffic because I barely noticed the vehicles speeding past me. The rain kept falling harder until my clothes clung heavily against my shaking body. People passed me quickly beneath umbrellas while I continued walking like someone completely lost. I did not even realize how badly I was crying until my chest started hurting from struggling to breathe.

Eventually my legs gave up completely beside a lonely road near downtown. I sat heavily on the wet sidewalk while rainwater soaked through my jeans immediately. My hands covered my face while broken sobs escaped my throat one after another uncontrollably. Ryan’s words replayed endlessly inside my head like something sharp tearing through me repeatedly. Poor. Orphan. Mistress. Ten thousand dollars every month. Every sentence hurt worse the more I remembered the cold expression on his face while saying them.

My phone suddenly started vibrating again inside my bag. At first I ignored it because I could barely think properly anymore. But the constant buzzing forced me to finally pull it out with trembling fingers. The reminder notification instantly made my stomach drop painfully. Ryan had promised today was the day he would help me pay the hospital bills for Noah’s treatment. My chest tightened when I looked at the time and realized it was almost morning already.

I stared blankly at the empty street while panic slowly replaced heartbreak inside me. I had spent hours wandering through the city crying without realizing how much time already passed. Soon the doctor would start asking questions about the payment again. Soon they would stop Noah’s treatment completely if I failed him. I wiped my tears quickly with shaking hands while trying desperately to think of another solution. But no matter how hard I thought, there was nothing left for me anymore.

I forced myself to stand despite how weak my body still felt after giving blood earlier. My legs shook badly beneath me while I looked around trying to figure out where exactly I had wandered to. Most of the street remained dark and empty except for a few glowing signs from expensive buildings nearby. Then my eyes landed on one particular sign shining brightly through the rain. SUGAR PRINCESS AGENCY. Get paid with cash while gaining pleasure. My heartbeat instantly started racing the moment I read the words.

I had heard whispers about the agency before from girls working late-night jobs downtown. Some called it disgusting while others said the girls inside earned more money in one night than normal workers earned in months. I should have walked away immediately the second I saw the building. Instead, my feet slowly carried me toward the entrance like my body already made the decision before my mind could fight back. The lobby looked expensive, warm, and completely silent compared to the cold rain outside. By the time I reached the front desk, I was already trembling from exhaustion and fear.

The receptionist looked up at me with a calm smile despite my ruined appearance. Rainwater dripped from my hair onto the marble floor while my mascara stained my cheeks horribly. Still, she did not look disgusted or judgmental while speaking to me softly. She simply explained the registration process and agency rules like this happened every single day. Then she casually mentioned new girls received eighty thousand dollars immediately after registration approval. The moment I heard that amount, my breathing completely stopped.

She handed me several papers while explaining the information sections carefully. My hands trembled while filling out my name because my brain still struggled processing everything happening around me. Some questions confused me completely, especially the parts asking about fetishes, preferences, limits, and rates. I quietly admitted I did not understand most of it because I had never done anything like this before. The receptionist only nodded calmly before helping me fill the remaining sections herself. Then she looked up and asked me one final question in a surprisingly gentle voice.

“What’s your body count?”

Heat rushed painfully into my face despite everything else happening tonight. “One,” I whispered quietly while staring down at the papers. Ryan was the first and only man I had ever been with. The receptionist studied me silently for a second before nodding again without judgment. She finished typing something into the computer while I sat there feeling numb emotionally. A few minutes later, she stood and told me the registration process was complete.

I barely made it outside the building before my phone vibrated again. Thinking it was another hospital reminder, I almost ignored it completely until I noticed the banking notification instead. My hands shook violently while opening the message and seeing the amount transferred into my account. Eighty thousand dollars. Enough to clear Noah’s old debt, continue his treatment, and still leave extra money for rent, food, and utilities. I burst into tears inside the taxi moments later because relief hit me so hard I could barely breathe.

The driver kept glancing at me awkwardly through the mirror while I cried silently during the ride. My chest still hurt badly from Ryan’s betrayal, but now another feeling slowly mixed into the pain. Anger. Ryan offered me ten thousand dollars every month to become his secret mistress like I was something cheap he could buy quietly. I looked down at the transfer notification again while wiping tears from my swollen eyes slowly. I would rather work at Sugar Princess Agency than ever belong to Ryan Cole again.

 I walked into the hospital, the nurses looking at me. “I would like to make full payment and the extra treatment cost” I mumbled, watching how shocked they were. I was led to the receptionist who help me throught the process.

“How did you get the money?” A nurse asked while I was waiting for the receipt. “A relative” I whispered as she nods. “Good, It was too much for you to carry, I was afraid you will do anything to get it” She said, patting my shoulders.