CHAPTER 1 THE KNOCK

Manila Apartment

There was a knock at the door, it wasn't the polite kind that came with patience. It was loud enough to rattle the thin wooden door of my apartment... loud enough to make my stomach twist into knots. Whoever stood outside wasn't asking, they were demanding.

I stood frozen a few steps away from the door, barely daring to breathe and another  knock echoed through the apartment.

"Maya!" a man shouted. "Open the door! We know you're in there!" His rough voice cut through the silence and my heart slammed against my ribs. I pressed my back against the wall beside the door and squeezed my eyes shut for a second.

Maybe if I stayed quiet... maybe they'd think I'd already left. Another bang shook the door.

"No more hiding!" the man yelled.

I swallowed hard. I was twenty-four years old, hiding inside my own apartment like a criminal. My name was Maya Reyes ...and I was broke. Not the kind of broke where you skipped takeout for a week.

I was the kind of broke that kept you awake at night... wondering whether to pay rent or buy medicine. The kind of broke that stole your dignity one unpaid bill at a time.

My gaze drifted across the tiny apartment. The faded paint peeled from the walls in long strips and the old sofa sagged in the middle, its fabric torn in several places. Rain leaked through a crack near the window, dripping steadily into a plastic bucket on the floor.

This place had never been beautiful. Still... it had been home. My eyes settled on the framed photograph resting on the small wooden table beside the sofa.

Lola. She smiled brightly in the picture, her silver hair neatly combed as she held my hand during my university graduation. She looked healthy and strong, because that was before the hospital visits and before the debts.

The pounding on the door grew louder.

"Maya!" I flinched. My fingers curled around the strap of my worn handbag lying on the chair nearby. Inside was everything I owned that still mattered: My phone with a cracked screen, the charger held together with tape and exactly two hundred pesos.

Outside, the voices suddenly became quieter. The footsteps shuffled away from the front door and I frowned and wondered had they finally given up?

I waited a little longer as relief washed over me so suddenly my knees almost buckled. then released a slow breath.

A floorboard creaked outside the kitchen window and my eyes widened. The back alley. They were going around.

Panic rushed through my body and without thinking, I grabbed my handbag and hurried toward the kitchen. The old back door stuck for a second before finally opening with a soft groan and rain poured from the dark sky.

I stepped outside barefoot, wincing as icy rain soaked through my thin shirt within seconds. The narrow alley behind the apartment building was empty. For one brief moment, I thought I had escaped.

"Where do you think you're going?" The voice stopped me cold. I looked up and Mr. Dela Cruz stood several metres away beneath the dim security light.

My landlord folded his arms across his broad chest and watched me with an expression that held no sympathy. Water dripped from the edge of his cap as rain splashed around his boots.

It was obvious he had guessed I'd try the back entrance and his timing couldn't have been worse. Or better...depending on whose side you were on.

"Ms. Reyes," he said evenly. His calm voice somehow frightened me more than shouting would have.

"You've avoided me long enough." I lowered my eyes.

"I'm sorry." He ignored the apology.

"You owe two months' rent."

I nodded. "I know."

"Twenty thousand pesos."

"I know."

"And today was your final extension." The words landed like stones inside my chest. I tightened my grip on my handbag until my fingers hurt.

"Mr. Dela Cruz..." My voice trembled. "Please. My grandmother is in the hospital. She's very sick. I just need one more week." He stared at me without blinking. "I'll pay everything," I continued quickly. "I just need a little more time."

Rain ran down my face, mixing with the tears threatening to fall. For a second, I thought I saw hesitation in his eyes. Then it disappeared.

"This isn't personal, Maya."

"It is to me," I whispered. He sighed.

"If you can't pay by tonight..." He paused. "...you'll need to leave the apartment."

My stomach dropped. Everything inside me wanted to argue. Instead, I simply stood there in the pouring rain, unable to find another word. Because deep down, we both knew I didn't have twenty thousand pesos. I barely had enough money to buy dinner.

Mr. Dela Cruz gave me one final look before turning away. "I truly hope your grandmother gets better," he said quietly. "But hope doesn't pay rent." He walked away, disappearing into the curtain of rain.

I remained in the alley long after he was gone. The cold no longer bothered me and neither did the rain. There was only one place left to go and that was the hospital.

I whispered a silent prayer before stepping onto the dark street. "Please., just let Lola be okay."

The hospital was only a twenty-minute walk away.

Tonight, it felt much longer and the rain never stopped. By the time I reached the hospital entrance, I was shivering. "Excuse me," I said, trying to catch my breath. "Room 204... Lola Reyes."

The nurse offered a polite smile before searching the computer. "Are you family?"

I nodded quickly.

"I'm her granddaughter." Her fingers paused above the keyboard. For a brief second, the warmth disappeared from her expression.

"Miss Reyes..." My stomach tightened. "Has the outstanding balance been settled?" The question hit harder than I expected.

I lowered my eyes. "Not yet..."I'm still trying, but I've been looking for work."

The nurse sighed softly. "I understand." Her voice was gentle. ""I truly do, but the billing department has placed a hold on several non-emergency services until payment arrangements are made."

I stared at her. "What does that mean?"

"It means the doctor cannot schedule your grandmother's procedure until the account is addressed." My heartbeat slowed.

"No..." I whispered. "You don't understand, she needs that procedure."

The nurse swallowed. "I know."

"Please..." My voice cracked. "There has to be something you can do." She looked back at the computer.

"The outstanding balanceis now one hundred and fifty thousand pesos." The number echoed inside my head. I owed Twenty thousand pesos for rent, three million owed to the bank.

My knees weakened, but I caught myself against the counter before I could fall.

"Miss Reyes..."

"I'm okay." I answered, but I wasn't.

Not even close.

"I just..." my throat tightened. ""Can I see her?"

"Of course. Room 204 was at the end of the hallway."

I stopped outside the door and looked through the small glass window. Lola lay asleep beneath a thin hospital blanket. Her breathing was slow and her face looked smaller than I remembered.

I quietly opened the door. The room was peaceful except for the steady beeping of the heart monitor. I walked over to her bedside and gently wrapped my fingers around her hand.

"I'll find the money." The promise left my lips before I could stop it. "But I won't let anything happen to you. I swear it." My fingers tightened around hers.

A soft knock sounded on the partially open door. I turned and the same nurse stood quietly outside.

"I'm sorry to interrupt." She hesitated before continuing. "The finance office stopped by while you were inside." My stomach sank again.

"They left this for you." She handed me a white envelope.

My name was printed neatly across the front.

""Maya Reyes." Confused, I opened it.

Inside was a single sheet of paper. At the bottom was the hospital's official stamp. My eyes scanned the words once. Then again and the room suddenly spun around me, because the payment deadline wasn't next week, t wasn't tomorrow, it was midnight.

If the required deposit wasn't made before then Lola's procedure would be cancelled. I looked at the clock on the wall and it was 9:03 p.m.

Less than three hours remained and I had two hundred pesos in my bag and absolutely no idea how I was supposed to find one hundred and fifty thousand before midnight.