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Chapter 13 - Evelyn's Struggles

Author: Pearl's pen
last update Petsa ng paglalathala: 2025-09-01 23:59:52

Evelyn's POV

The sounds of dishes and the hum of voices filled the small Midtown diner, but to Evelyn Carter, the sounds faded into the background noise. She stood behind the counter in her faded uniform, forcing a polite smile as she filled a customer's coffee cup. Her hands aches from hours of nonstop work, her feet screamed inside cheap sneakers, and the clock above the kitchen door seemed seemed deliberately slow, mocking her with every slow tick.

It had been like this for weeks. Double shifts, no rest, no break. Work was the only way to keep the collectors at bay, even if it meant she barely had to rest.

“Evelyn, table five is complaining again”, Carmen called out from across the room, he'd dark curls bouncing as she moved between tables with her usual sass. “Something about the soup being too salty. Or maybe they're just salty”.

Evelyn let out a weary laugh, grateful for her friend's humor. “I'll handle it”.

Carmen grinned. “Of course you will. You always do”.

Evelyn made her way to table five, apologizing to the grumpy businessman seated there. He looked her over like she was a piece of garbage. She swallowed the hurt she felt, smiled and offered to replace the soup. That was her job. Smile. Serve. Survive.

When she returned to the counter, Carmen was waiting with two envelopes in her hand. One had the restaurant's logo, and the other one? Evelyn recognized it instantly.

Her stomach chunned.

“Another one?” she whispered softly, her voice trembling.

Carmen's playful expression had vanished. She lowered her voice. “Loan collector. They dropped it off just now”.

Evelyn collected the envelope with shaking fingers. She didn't need to open it to know what it was, another overdue notice. Another threat. Her parents’ debts had followed her about like a curse, swallowing every penny she had made. No matter how hard she worked, it was never enough.

Her throat tightened as she shoved the envelope into the pocket of her apron. “I can't keep doing this, Carmen”. “I’m tired”.

Carmen reached across the counter, squeezing Evelyn's hand. “Then stop killing yourself. There are other ways”.

Evelyn shook her head. “Like what? Another job? I'm already drowning”.

Carmen hesitated before pulling a folder from her apron. Evelyn's eyes widened as she recognized it, the same flyer Carmen had been pushing for weeks.

The surrogacy agency.

Evelyn's stomach twisted. “No”.

“Yes”, Carmen answered. “Evie,” she called fondly. “Listen, you're young, you're healthy, and they pay more money than you'll ever make waiting tables. One year, maybe less, and you'll be free, your debt is gone. You can start over”.

“I’d be renting out my body”, Evelyn said,her voice cracking.

“You’d be saving your life”, Carmen answered.

Evelyn shoved the flyers back into Carmen's hands. “It’s not me. I can't.”

“Can’t or won't? There's a difference” Carmen asked softly.

Evelyn didn't answer.

The rest of the shift dragged on slowly, Evelyn moving through motions like a ghost. By closing time, she was running on fumes. She and Carmen left the restaurant together stepping into the cold night air. Bidding each other a good night and parting ways.

The city light blurred as Evelyn walked on slowly, exhausted. Her apartment wasn't far, but it felt like miles to Evelyn.

At the entrance of her apartment building, there was a man dressed in a cheap suit, waiting. Evelyn froze.

“Miss Carter?” His voice was clipped, businesslike.

Her pulse spiked. She didn't need to ask who he was. Debt collector, she knew.

“I – I already made a payment”, she stammered, searching her purse for the crumbled receipt.

He held up a hand. “Not enough. Never enough, is it?” His eyes looked her up and down in a way that made her skin crawl. “You’ve got thirty days. Pay in full, or we escalate”.

Her hands shook as she clutched the receipt tighter. “I'm trying.”

“Try harder”, he responded rudely l, before walking away into the night.

Evelyn stood, dumbfounded, heart pounding , humiliation burning in her cheeks.

Carmen's words echoed in her mind. “You'd be saving your life.”

In her tiny apartment, Evelyn sat on the edge of her bed l, staring at the flyer Carmen had slipped into her bag. Her rent was overdue. Her parents' loan collectors were on her neck. She was trapped.

Tears blurred her vision as she whispered, “Nine months, and I'm free”.

Her phone buzzed. It was a text from Carmen. “Think about it. Please”.

She scrolled to her contact list, the agency's number was still there. Intact.

Evelyn curled up, clutching the flyer. For the first time, she allowed herself to imagine it. Nine months, a faceless man's child, money in her account, and freedom.

Her eyes closed, exhaustion pulling her under.

But even in her sleep, the flyer haunted her, its logo stamped across her vision, promising salvation at cost she didn't know if she could bear.

The next morning, Evelyn walked past the agency building on her way to work. She told herself she wouldn't go in. She told herself she was stronger than everything happening to her. But as she paused at the glass doors, her heart pounding loudly, she didn't notice the black SUV parked across the street.

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