Chapter 13: Delete Everything

Aria sat on her living room floor at 3:12 AM, laptop burning hot on her thighs. The photo Ghost sent stared back at her; her green dress, Marcus’s hand on her arm, taken from way too close. She felt sick.

She opened OnlyFans for the last time. Her balance sat at $128,400. Most of it from him.

Her hands were shaking as she went to the payout section and requested a full withdrawal to her bank account. It would take two days to process, but she wanted every cent out. Then she went into settings, scrolled to the bottom, and clicked the red button.

Delete Account.

The warning popped up. She read it once, then hit confirm without hesitating. Her entire profile vanished. She blocked Ghost’s username and every other big tipper she could remember. When it was done, she closed the laptop and just sat there in silence.

For a few minutes she felt relieved. Like she had finally cut the rope. But the relief didn’t last. Soon a heavy, empty feeling settled in her chest. That account had been her main source of income for almost two years. Now it was gone.

She barely slept.

The next morning she woke up to two important emails. One was the withdrawal confirmation from OnlyFans. The money would hit her account in 48 hours. The second email was from UCLA Extension Program; she had been accepted into the spring semester starting in three weeks. Evening classes in Communications.

Aria made coffee and sat at her kitchen counter reading the acceptance letter again and again. This was good. This was normal. She could finally build something real.

Later that day she went to Velvet Hour and asked her manager for more shifts. He gave her four extra nights a week. It wasn’t going to replace what she was used to making, but it was something.

Two days later the money hit her account. $128,400 looked like a lot on the screen, but when she sat down and calculated everything, reality kicked in hard. Her rent in West Hollywood was $3,800 a month. Car payment, insurance, gas. Groceries. Now school fees on top of that. And taxes, she had forgotten how brutal the taxes were going to be on that lump sum.

By the time she finished writing everything down, she realized the money would only last about six or seven months if she was extremely careful. Maybe eight if she cut everything possible. No more shopping sprees. No more random takeout. No more breathing room.

She stared at the numbers until her eyes hurt.

That evening after her shift, she sat on her couch eating instant noodles and looking at her UCLA class schedule. She felt proud for taking the step, but the fear was already creeping in. How was she going to survive on bar tips and part-time wages while paying for school?

Around 1:40 AM, as she was getting ready for bed, her phone buzzed with an email from her landlord.

Rent Payment Confirmation – Next Two Months Paid in Full.

Aria read it three times. No name on the payer. Just “Anonymous Bank Transfer.”

She knew exactly who it was.

Anger rushed through her. She had deleted everything. She had blocked him. And he still found a way to insert himself into her life. She typed an angry message to the landlord demanding to know who paid, but they replied saying the payer wanted to remain anonymous.

She walked to the window and peeked through the blinds. The street looked quiet, but a black car was parked across the road with its lights off.

Aria quickly closed the blinds and stepped back.

She told herself she was being paranoid. But deep down she knew better.

As she turned off the lights in her apartment, there was a soft knock on her door.

Her body went rigid.

It was almost 2 AM.

She grabbed a knife from the kitchen and approached the door slowly. Through the peephole she saw no one. But right outside on the floor sat a small black box with a white ribbon.

Aria didn’t open the door.

She stared at the box for a long time, heart pounding, wondering what Ghost had sent her now.

And why, even after everything, she was still tempted to bring it inside.