But now? Now I was out of options. The lights were off, the heat was gone, and I was sitting in the middle of my “too-nice apartment,” shivering under a towel, pretending I wasn’t onebad day away from getting kicked out of the only home I had left. I couldn’t wait for “next time.”
Once I’d made it off the couch, I got ready with whatever I could find, dressing in a skirt and a soft sweater. It was so dark in the apartment I wasn’t sure if I was even wearing matching colors or not.
When I was at the door pulling my coat on, my phone buzzed. It had 8% battery now, and for a second, I considered ignoring it. I answered it instead.
“Hello?”
“This is St. Vincent’s billing department,” the voice on the other end of the line said. “We’re calling regarding your mother’s treatment plan.”
My stomach dropped.
“We didn’t receive payment for this month,” the woman continued. “If the balance isn’t settled within the next ten days, her treatments will be discontinued.”
I swallowed hard. “Discontinued?” I repeated, as if saying it aloud would make it less horrifying.
“Yes,” she confirmed. “We understand things can be difficult, but we require timely payment to ensure ongoing care.”
Timely payment.Sure, let me just reach into the vault I don’t have and pull out a couple grand.
“I’ll take care of it,” I said, my voice scratching with a familiar panic. “You’ll have it by the end of the week.”
She paused like she didn’t believe me. “Thank you, Ms. De La Vega. We’ll follow up in a few days.”
The line went dead, and I stood there for a moment, my breath fogging in the cold air. I needed the money, and I needed it now.
I hated taking the subway alone. Weird things happened on the subway—the kind of things you couldn’t explain without people looking at you as ifyouwere the weird one. But what choice did I have? Cillian’s driver wasn’t here anymore, the bills were piling up, and my phone was at 3% battery.
Luxuryclearlywasn’t on the menu today.
My hair was still half-wet, with shampoo residue hardening at the top of my head. This was a low, even for me. But what choice did I have? Freezing-cold water?No.No, thank you.
Once the train came to a stop, I got off and walked six blocks in my black Milanos. By the time the first blister had started to form, I was at Max’s building.
The woman behind the front desk gave me a warm smile and asked who I was here for.
“Max,” I told her.
She had me follow her down a hall to a room full of glass walls until I saw the office Max was in. He glanced up from his desk when I entered.
“This is a surprise.”
I stopped a few feet away, crossing my arms. “I need money.”
He raised a brow. “I think we’ve had this conversation before.”
“And I’m having it again,” I shot back. “I’m out of time. I need it now.”
He sighed. “You know the deal. Thirty days, a chip, and it’s yours.”
I groaned, throwing my head back dramatically. “I still have shampoo in my hair, Max. Literal shampoo. The power went out, and I haven’t even had a chance to rinse it out.”
“And whose fault is that?”
“Yours,” I said, pointing a finger at him. “You’re the one holding my inheritance hostage.”
“Months ago I made you an offer. You could’ve had everything by now if you’d just stuck to the agreement,” he said, sounding annoyed he had to explain it to me again. “How have you been getting by? Have the Americans not been helping you?”
I glared at him, the mention of the Americans making my stomach twist. “Don’t start with me.”
