ELENA'S POV
I spend the rest of the day desperately trying to understand the debt documents and figuring out how to raise money to clear these debts. My head ached from too much thinking.
Papers are everywhere, on the table, the floor and even on my bed.
I had brought down the big black box on the shelf in grandmother's room where she had carefully placed all documents and files hoping to find proof of anything wrong. The box is covered in dust from not being touched for a long period of time. I wave the dust away from my face as I break through it to look through the documents.
I sit on the floor and in the middle with my legs stretched out wide. My eyes burn and I blink hard and try to read again.
"Final notice…" My lips move slowly as I sound out the words. "…failure to pay will result in seizure of assets." I swallow.
My throat suddenly feels dry. "No… no, this must be wrong," I mumble. I grab another paper quickly. It's another letter but the same words, though with a different date. I pick another, and another. Each one is worse than the last.
"How did I not know?" I ask. My voice sounds small in the room.
I look around. I mean, this is the same house I grew up in but everything feels… different. It's like the air itself is pressing on me.
I push myself up from the floor and walk to the old cabinet near the wall. My grandmother always kept important things there. "Maybe… maybe she left something," I mutter. My hand hesitates before I open it. The door creaks.
I find more files inside it, old ones in fact all stacked neatly. I pull them out in bits. At this point, my hands are moving faster. I drop them on the table and start opening them one after another.
There are letters, receipts, and more warnings. Some are old...very old, maybe years old, I can't tell. My breath catches. "Three years ago…?" My eyes scan the page again. Three years. I'm not dreaming. "She has been dealing with this for three years?"
I check through the others that show two years and four years. My knees feel weak. I crash down on the chair.
"No, no, no… she would have told me." I shake my head quickly. "She… she was handling this alone?" I stutter. My eyes begin to sting. So she carried everything alone? All the fears, pressure, threats? I would have helped... somehow. Tears blur my vision.
I press my hand against my mouth to stop the sound that wants to come out. "Grandma… why didn't you tell me?" My shoulders shake. " So all those nights you smiled at me and acted like everything was fine, you were hiding this? From me?" I question as though she was in the room looking and listening to me with a guilty expression.
I push the papers away suddenly and they scatter.
"I could have helped!" I say loudly. "I would have done something even though I know you wouldn't want to bother me! But not knowing hurts even more." A tear slips down my cheek and I break down in tears.
I let the tears flow. All the pain and ache I've been holding these few days, I let it all out.
Then one thought comes into my mind, Ryan. My heart lifts just a little.
"Yes…" I grab my phone quickly. "He will know what to do."
I press his number. It rings once, twice, thrice... "Hey, babe," his voice comes through.
"Ryan…" my voice shakes. "Can we meet?" There is a small pause.
"Now?"
"Yes… please." He pauses again.
"…Okay. Same place?"
I nod, then realize he can't see me. "Yes. Please."
"Alright. I'll be there."
The call ends.
I hold the phone tightly in my hand. "He will help me, he has to."
***
The evening air feels cold against my skin. I sit at our usual table at a small cafe as I wait for Ryan. This is the same place he first held my hand.
My fingers tap softly against the table. Then I stop. My hands are shaking and I quickly hold them together.
"Calm down," I say nervously.
The door opens and Ryan walks in. My chest tightens again.
He looks the same with his neat shirt, clean shoes, and calm face like nothing is wrong. When he sees me, he gives a small smile.
"Hey." He walks over and sits down.
"Hey," I reply softly.
He leans back in his chair. "You sounded serious on the phone."
I nod quickly. "Yes… I… I need your help."
His expression softens a little. "Okay… what's going on?"
I take a deep breath. Then I start talking fast.
My voice quivers as I speak. Sometimes I stop to breathe then wipe my eyes quickly.
Ryan listens quietly. He nods on different occasions once or twice but doesn't interrupt.
When I finish, I look at him. My eyes search his face.
"So… what do you think?" I ask softly. "We can figure something out, right?" I try to smile.
Ryan doesn't answer immediately. He looks down at the table while his fingers tap lightly on it. Then he gives a long, slow sigh.
My smile fades. "Ryan?" I call softly.
He lifts his head. This time his usual calm face looks… different. It is less warm and his eyes are distant.
"This is… a lot, Elena."
My heart drops slightly. "I know," I say quickly. "But we can..."
"These are not normal debts," he cuts in. His voice is calm.
I blink. "What do you mean?"
He leans back in his chair again. "This involves dangerous people."
My fingers curl slowly into my palm. "I know… but..."
"People you don't just 'fix things' with." His eyes finally meet mine.
"Ryan…" I start. "We can go to the police..."
He shakes his head quickly. "No." He cuts off sharply.
My body stills. "No?" I repeat.
He runs his hand through his hair. "This is messy, Elena."
I swallow hard. "I just need your help," I say. "Please… I don't know what to do." My voice breaks slightly.
He tightens his jaw and looks away. The air between us is thick with silence.
"Ryan…" I break the silence and reach out slowly then place my hand on his.
His hand is warm as it used to be. He doesn't hold mine back, he just looks at it. Then slowly, he pulls his hand away. My breath catches in my throat.
"I can't get involved in this." His words landed on me like a slap.
I stare at him. "What?"
"My career is just starting," he continues. "I've worked too hard to get here."
"So?" I ask.
"So?" he repeats then leans forward slightly. "So I can't risk everything for this."
"This?" I repeat. "You mean… me?"
He doesn't answer. He just looks at the table again.
Tears fill my eyes. "Ryan… we've been together for two years."
He nods once. "I know."
"Then how can you say this?" My hands grip the edge of the table. "How can you just… step back?"
He exhales slowly. "We should take a break Elena."
It looks like someone just punched my face. "A… break?" I ask.
He nods again. "Yes."
"I... I don't understand." I want to be sure I heard correctly.
"When you fix everything," he continues, avoiding my eyes, "we can try again."
My chest feels tight, like I cannot breathe. "Fix everything? How the hell am I supposed to do that alone Ryan?"
He stays silent.
"Ryan…" my voice trembles. "Please don't do this." I reach for his hand again.
I hold it tighter this time. "Please don't leave me now."
He looks at my hand, then at my face. He hesitates for a moment but then hardens his face. He removes my hand again and pushes mine away with his fingers.
"You're becoming a liability, Elena." I freeze. After a while, my hands fall to my lap and I stay there without uttering anything.
Ryan stands up. "I'm sorry." But he doesn't look sorry. He picks up his phone.
"I need to go."
My lips part slightly but no words come out. I just watch him as he turns and walks away step by step and further. The door opens then closes and just like that, he's gone.
I sat there. The café noise continues around me. People around me chatter away and laugh but I'm lost in my own world.
Then a tear rolls down my cheek and then another and another. I wipe them quickly but they keep coming. I feel like something inside me just broke.
I look at the empty chair in front of me. "He didn't even look back…" I laugh bitterly. "He really left…"
I sat there for a long time. I don't know how long...maybe minutes or hours until my phone vibrates on the table. I stare at it then pick it up.
It is a message from an unknown number. I tap open the message and a picture appears. My eyes narrow slightly.
"What is this…?" I zoom in. My breath hitch. It shows the inside of a building with neon lights. Women stand outside with short dresses and high heels.
My stomach somersaults. It is the popular strip club known as Midnight Desire.
My hand begins to shake. Then I see the message below it:
Seven days…or this becomes your new workplace.