Chapter 1: Masked Mayhem

TRICIA

“I can't just sleep with a random stranger, Ivy! What, can you even hear yourself?” I whispered harshly, my voice shaking more from fear than anger.

Ivy rolled her eyes and flopped back onto her bed, kicking her legs up as though we weren’t talking about the biggest disaster of my life. Her nonchalance made my stomach twist. I had never been the reckless type. Never. But here she was, suggesting I give myself to a stranger like it was nothing more than selling a pair of shoes.

“It isn't that bad...” she mumbled.

I buried my face in my hands. My chest was tight, and my throat ached with words I hadn’t yet said aloud. “Ivy, I can’t. I just can’t. Do you even understand what’s at stake for me?”

Of course she didn’t. How could anyone?

My father had been everything to me. A strong, hardworking man who had spent his whole life providing for me even after my mother's death. I grew up watching his hands blister from endless hours of carpentry, just to pay my school fees and keep food on the table. Then, just like that, he fell sick.

It started with headaches, then constant fainting. The hospital said it was cancer. He fought for two years before his body gave in. I remembered standing by his bedside, clutching his frail hand, begging him not to leave me. But he did. The machines went silent, and with them, half of my soul.

Now I was left with unpaid hospital bills that stacked taller than I could reach. And as if that wasn’t enough, my final-year fees were due. And, final exams were in four months.

If I didn’t pay, I would drop out, waste years of my life, and probably never get another chance. I’d already lost my father. I couldn’t afford to lose my future too.

“Suit yourself then, I've got nothing else for ya,” she replied, popping her bubblegum in her mouth. “Maybe life isn't hard enough for you yet.”

“Ivy, don't say that. The bills... they're choking me, life IS tough.” My voice cracked, and I looked away so she wouldn’t see the tears burning in my eyes.

“That’s exactly why you need to do this!” she sat up quickly, her tone sharper now. “Tricia, you’re drowning. You keep acting like working double shifts at the diner will save you. It won’t. You’ll just collapse, and in the end, you’ll still be broke.”

She pushed a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, her sharp eyes glittering with determination. “This is an opportunity. A few hours in a mask, no one's even gonna know it’s you, and you walk out with more than enough cash to pay those bills. Why are you fighting it?”

I shook my head furiously. “Because it’s wrong! Because it’s disgusting, Ivy. I’m not some girl who sleeps around for money.”

“Oh so, I'm disgusting now, huh?”

I sighed, shaking my head. “C'mon, you know that's not what I mean—”

“Then stop being dramatic,” she snapped, then softened her tone. “Listen, no one’s asking you to do this forever, just once. You’ll wear a mask, nobody will even see your face. You’ll walk away with enough money to breathe for the first time in months. And trust me, these men—” she smirked, “—they pay more for girls who are innocent.”

Her words twisted in my gut. I hated that she sounded convincing. Even more that she was right.

Still, one thing kept clawing through my mind: Frank.

Frank, with his gentle smile and dark eyes that used to make me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world. We’d been together for six years since high school. He was my safe place, my reason for moving to this city in the first place. I’d believed in him more than I believed in myself. He was my first love, my only love, and he cherished me.

“I can’t betray Frank like this,” I whispered, my heart sinking deeper. “He loves me. We’re supposed to be saving ourselves for marriage. I can’t just…” My words trailed off as shame wrapped around me like chains.

Ivy groaned and rolled her eyes. “Frank again. Honestly, Tricia, I don’t get it. That boy has held you back since the first day I met you. He’s broke, possessive, and useless. What future do you think you’ll have with him? If you ask me, this is your chance to finally stand on your own.”

Her harsh words stung, but I stayed silent. Deep down, I knew Frank wasn’t perfect. He had his flaws, his temper, his immaturity. But he had been there for me when no one else was. To throw that away? For money? My stomach churned.

Yet the weight of those bills crushed me harder than any guilt.

Hours passed with Ivy pressing and me resisting, until I finally gave in. My voice was barely a whisper when I said, “Fine.”

Her grin spread wide, victorious. “Good girl. You won’t regret it.”

But even as she said it, I knew I already did.

---

The hotel was extravagant, glowing golden under the night lights, intimidating in every way. I held Ivy’s hand tightly as she led me through the lobby, where people dressed in shimmering gowns and sharp tuxedos laughed like they owned the world.

I don't belong here. I feel like an ant about to be stepped on.

Ivy whispered quick introductions to people I couldn’t even look in the eye. Then a tall woman with red lipstick and a cold smile pulled me aside.

“You’re the new girl?” she asked, her tone sharp.

I nodded nervously.

“I believe you know what to do?”

I swallowed hard and whispered, “No. I’ve never… I mean, I’m...”

For a moment, she raised a brow, then smirked like she had just found gold. “Hm. Follow me... You're a prize.”

I froze. The word "prize" cut me like a knife. Humans were nothing but merchandise here.

She led me into a dim room where I was changed into a skimpy outfit and masked. My hands trembled as she left me alone in another room to wait. The silence was suffocating, my heart hammering so loud I thought it would burst out of my chest.

Then the door swung open.

A tall, broad-shouldered man stumbled in, his mask crooked and his steps uneven. The smell of alcohol hit me before he even spoke. My stomach clenched in terror. He was huge, at least twice my size, and drunk enough to barely stand.

He collapsed onto the bed, dragging me with him. My body stiffened, but no amount of fear could stop what happened next.

Time blurred into a nightmare I wanted to escape. My mind screamed no, but my lips stayed frozen. When it was over, he shoved an envelope into my hand without even looking at me.

I stared at the crumpled money but didn’t count it. I couldn’t. I felt dirty, broken, worthless. I wanted to disappear.

I fled the room as fast as my shaking legs could carry me.

But just as I reached the exit, I collided with someone. Hard.

The world spun, and when I looked up, my heart shattered.

Frank.

His eyes scanned me from head to toe, taking in the mask, the skimpy clothes, the envelope in my hand. The disgust on his face was worse than death.

“You? Tricia?” His voice cracked with disbelief before turning cold. “So this is who you really are? Pretending to be pure while selling yourself in hotels?”

Tears streamed down my face. “Frank, please, it’s not what you think. I—”

“Don’t you dare lie to me.” His voice was venom. “Six years, Tricia. Six years I wasted on you, and this is what you do? You’re nothing but a slut.”

The words sliced through me like blades.

I reached for him, desperate, but he stepped back. His jaw tightened. “We’re done. Don’t ever come near me again.”

And just like that, he walked away, leaving me in pieces.

By the time I returned to my dorm, my tears wouldn’t stop. My body shook, my chest hurt, and the silence in the room felt like it was mocking me. I curled up on the bed, clutching the pillow, and cried until sleep finally dragged me into darkness.

Frank was gone. My father was gone. And a part of me wished I had gone with them.