Chapter 6

Wren’s Pov

“Anna….Mom…debt five million—”

No matter how much I tried I couldn’t seem to get the words out. Sobs kept ripping through me, turning my sentences into short and meaningless phrases.

I was curled on the floor of our tiny living room, phone pressed to my ear like a lifeline as I waited for her to reply.

“Wren, breathe,” Anna said, her voice laced with worry. “Just breathe, okay? Calm down. Meet me at The Roasted Bean in twenty minutes. I’m already heading there.”

I managed a shaky “okay” before she hung up. Without thinking I threw on one of the first clothes I could lay my hand on and by the time I dragged myself into The Roasted Bean, I probably looked like a wreck.

I had avoided every mirror but I didn’t need any to tell me my eyes were swollen or that my hair was a tangled mess from running my hands through it.

Even my clothes were all mismatched. I pushed the door open and every waitress seemed to give me a look. Either a confused or pitiful one.

One older woman actually winced when she saw my face. Not that I could blame them I probably looked like someone had just died.

Anna had already claimed our usual corner table. Two glasses of wine and a few plates sat in front of her and the moment I dropped into the chair, her eyes widened.

“Jesus, Wren. What the hell happened? You look like absolute shit.” My lips stretched into an empty smile but when I tried to speak words failed me. “I’ve ruined my life, Anna. Completely ruined it.”

She leaned forward, grabbing my cold hands. “Talk to me.” She whispered, stroking my hands, “slowly.”

So I did. I told her everything; how Mom had vanished after slipping me that fifty dollars, how her phone was now disconnected, and how the men had stormed into our apartment.

When I finally whispered the amount Anna’s face grew even more pale. Her mouth opened, closed only to open again and for the first time since we became friends, real fear flickered in her eyes.

“What….do we do? We should be able to gather at least half of it?” Anna said wiping a bead of sweat off her forehead.

I forced the number off my tongue and her jaw fell. “Five… million?” she repeated, voice barely above a whisper.

She glanced around the café like she expected Callum’s men to appear any second. “Holy shit, Wren. That’s not a debt. That’s… that’s life-ruining money.”

Tears filled my eyes and I forced out a chuckle staring at anything but her. “Wren this is so terrible. We should go to the police."

My eyes widened with hope, I had been so filled with fear that I barely had any second to properly think.

I nodded about to speak when Callum’s dark blue eyes found their way into my head and my stomach twisted. With how confident he was he had to have the police behind him. Lord, I was so screwed.

“I can’t,” I whispered. “He’s dangerous, Anna. The kind of man who doesn’t need to raise his voice to destroy you. If I involve the cops… what if he hurts Lizzie? Or you?”

Her face paled and for a minute I thought she might sprint out of the diner. Anna took a deep breath pushing a strand of her black hair behind her ear.

“Well, I’m sure we could figure something out.” The more we talked, the worse it got. Lizzie’s hospital bills were already crushing us. Without Mom, I had no idea how I’d keep her in that room with the machines and the round-the-clock nurses.

The weight of it all pressed down until I couldn’t breathe. My cries turned into full, ugly sobs that made my throat raw and my shoulders shake.

I could feel eyes all over me, and I lifted my head to find an older lady giving me a sorry look.

Anna moved to my side of the booth rubbing my back until the lump in my throat reduced. “Are you okay?” Anna asked pushing my hair back and all I could manage was a nod.

“Hey. Eat something, please. You’re going to pass out.”

I nodded but made no move even to grab a fork feeling sick. Letting out a defeated sigh, Anna flagged down a waitress and asked her to pack everything to go.

The young girl handed me a stack of extra napkins with a gentle, pitying smile that somehow made me feel even smaller.

Before we left, Anna squeezed my shoulder. “Look for work first. Any job. Don’t do anything desperate with that man yet. Promise me.”

I nodded, but we both knew how empty the promise felt.

That night, back in the silent apartment, I sat at the kitchen table with my laptop open. I applied for everything. Waitressing gigs at greasy diners. Retail positions at stores I couldn’t afford to shop in.

Even office roles where I had zero experience. Dozens of applications were not stopping until my eyes burned from staring at the screen.

Exhaustion eventually won. I dragged myself to the couch with a bottle of cheap red wine Mom had left behind. I drank straight from the bottle, gulp after gulp, until the room started to tilt and the sharp edges of my panic softened into something warmer and fuzzier.

The alcohol loosened memories I’d been trying to bury..The masquerade ball. Strong hands sliding up my thighs. A masked face between my legs, tongue slow and devastating.

That deep voice murmuring filthy praise against my skin. The way he’d filled me—thick, relentless, perfect. My body heated instantly.

I leaned back against the cushions, thighs parting without thinking. My hand slipped under the waistband of my shorts.

I was already wet. My fingers found my clit, swollen and sensitive, and I circled it slowly. A soft moan escaped me.

God, it had felt so good. I imagined those dark blue eyes staring down at me as he thrust deep, that powerful body pinning me to the bed.

My breathing quickened. I rubbed faster, hips rocking into my hand. My clit throbbed under my fingertips, each stroke sending sparks up my spine. Heat coiled tighter and tighter in my core. I was so close—

Callum’s voice cut through the fantasy like ice water. “Call me when you’re ready to discuss terms.”

I froze, fingers still pressed against my pulsing clit. The pleasure withered instantly, replaced by cold dread. Five million dollars. Lizzie’s sleeping face on that tablet. The mountain-sized bodyguard.

I yanked my hand away, curling into a ball on the couch as fresh tears slipped down my cheeks. That wasn’t something a short amount of pleasure could ease.