Raya got home only to meet a group of men shouting at her father in front of their tiny house.
"I'll pay you your money back, please…" her father begged, rubbing his hands together, voice trembling.
Without thinking, Raya ran toward them, heart pounding. She threw herself between her father and the goons just as one of them raised a hand. She knelt in front of the man who looked like their leader.
"Please, sir… we'll pay you," she said, trying to sound calm even though she had no idea how much her father owed this time.
Her father — her biggest problem, the reason she had dropped out of school, the reason she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. His gambling addiction had ruined everything, and no matter how many times he promised to stop, it was always the same.
The leader smirked. "Your father owes me again, Raya."
They knew her name. They'd been to their house more times than she could count.
"How much this time?" Raya asked, keeping her voice steady, though her hands trembled behind her back.
"It's just a little amount." The man crouched down, cupping her face in his hand in a way that made her skin crawl. Raya jerked away from his touch.
"You could always just be with me," he said, his grin widening. "Your father's debts would disappear. Simple, right?"
"Just tell me the amount!" Raya snapped, anger flashing in her eyes.
"Three thousand five hundred," the man said casually, like it was pocket change.
"No — it's less than that!" her father, Philip, blurted. "It's three thousand two hundred!"
"Shut up!" one of the goons barked, shoving him backward.
Raya swallowed hard. "Please… give me a few days. I'll find the money."
The leader leaned closer, his breath hot against her cheek. "You have three days, beautiful. Or I take your father's fingers. Or better yet… you can save him with that pretty body of yours."
He laughed, and his men followed.
Raya stayed frozen for a moment, the sound of her own breathing loud in her ears. Her father stood there, shoulders slumped, eyes not daring to meet hers.
"I'm sorry, Raya…" Philip's voice trembled, his hand reaching out, fingers shaking as they hovered near her shoulder. She didn't move. She stayed kneeling on the cracked, dusty floor, back turned to him, her fists clenched so tight her nails dug into her palms.
"Really? Sorry?" Raya's voice broke as she stood, slowly, deliberately, turning to face him. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, her lips quivering with the weight of words she'd said too many times before.
"How many times, Dad? How many times have you told me you're sorry? And then you do it again. And again. And again." Her voice cracked at the end, the tears finally spilling over, trailing hot down her cheeks.
Her father dropped his gaze to the floor, like a scolded child, shoulders hunched, too ashamed or too afraid to look her in the eye.
"Why?" she demanded, her voice rising, sharp as a blade. "Why do you love gambling so much? What has it ever given you — given us — except misery? We have nothing. You earn so little, and still, instead of feeding us, instead of saving for rent, you throw it all away. And when that's not enough, you borrow. You borrow from devils, and you drag me down with you."
Philip opened his mouth as if to speak but only shook his head, the words dying on his lips.
"I'm sorry, Raya…" he whispered again, like that would fix anything.
Her laugh was bitter, broken. "Sorry? Sorry doesn't pay your debt. Sorry doesn't stop those men from coming to break your legs. Sorry doesn't feed us. Sorry doesn't change anything!"
She stepped back, her whole body trembling. "If you do it again, if you borrow one more time and can't pay, I swear, I'll let them cut off your hands. Maybe then you'll stop!"
He flinched at her words, horror flashing briefly in his eyes.
But Raya knew. She knew she didn't have it in her to stand there and watch that happen. No matter what she said, no matter how much she wished she could be that cold — she couldn't.
The words came out before she could stop herself, the image so vivid in her mind that it made her sick. But she knew, deep down, she didn't have the heart. He was all she had left.
Without waiting for his reply, she spun on her heel and stormed into her room, slamming the door behind her.
---
Inside the small space, Raya leaned against the door, sliding down until she sat on the cold floor. Her hands trembled as she covered her face, trying to hold herself together.
She hated this — the endless cycle, the fear, the weight she carried alone.
Her mind drifted back — to a face she barely remembered. A woman in faded photos. Her mother.
She had been barely two when that woman walked out, leaving Raya behind with a man addicted to gambling and ruin. Raya always believed it was his addiction that drove her mother away. But still — what kind of mother abandons her child?
She had once been obsessed with seeing her mother, which her father always rejected.
But when Raya was about twelve, her father had pointed her out one day, from afar. Her mother, dressed in fine clothes, on the arm of a wealthy man. Laughing, smiling, happy. Two children at her side — children who weren't even hers by blood. They looked older than her.
That day, Raya understood. She wasn't part of that woman's perfect world. And she never would be.
And from that day on, whenever anyone asked about her mother, she gave the only answer that felt true: "She's dead." Because to her… she was.
To her, her father was all she had left. But instead of being a safe place, he was more of a burden. A burden she could barely carry anymore.
When Raya was fifteen, things had nearly ended in tragedy. Her father's debt had grown so large, the loan sharks came to collect — and this time, they hadn't come to talk. She could still remember the fear, the way the leader had stared at her, the way his hands had hovered too close. But somehow, her looks had saved them both that night. The man had made a different offer: an ultimatum. And she'd dropped out of school to work, desperate to keep them alive.
She closed her eyes, fighting off the bitterness.
Tomorrow she'd find a way. She had to, because out of the $3,500 her father owed, she only had about $800.
---
Later that evening…
"Raya!" Anna's voice rang out the moment she stepped into the small, dimly lit house.
She spotted Raya's father slumped on their worn-out couch, snoring softly. The sound of Anna's voice stirred him, and he blinked groggily, rubbing his eyes.
Anna gave him a small, polite nod, not waiting for a response, and made her way straight to Raya's room.
Inside, Raya lay on her bed, staring at the cracked ceiling as if trying to count the lines. The room smelled faintly of old books and dust, and the air felt heavy with unspoken worries.
"Raya?" Anna called again, softer this time.
Raya turned her head slowly, her eyes tired, her spirit drained.
"What's wrong?" Anna asked, sitting beside her. "Are you still thinking about… him? That man?"
Raya sat up, running a hand through her tangled hair. "Not just that. Everything's just… too much today."
Her voice cracked on the last word. The wild night, the shame of it, getting fired, her father's mess, and Leon — how was she supposed to explain any of this to Leon?
Anna gave a small, understanding smile and reached into her bag. She pulled out a small packet and handed it to Raya.
Raya looked at it, confused. "What's this?"
"I figured you hadn't gotten any contraceptives yet," Anna said gently. When Raya's lips parted, as if to protest, Anna held up a hand. "I know, I know. I just thought… better safe than sorry, right? It's an after-sex pill. We don't need a baby right now."
Raya gave a soft, bitter laugh. "Definitely not with an unknown man," she muttered. She popped the pill out of the packet, and Anna handed her a cup of water from the little table. Raya swallowed it down without another word.
Anna tried to lighten the mood. "So… was the man good?"
"What?" Raya asked, raising a brow.
"The man from last night… was he good?" Anna teased.
"What the hell, Anna?" Raya said with a small, disbelieving smile.
"Don't be shy. That was your first night… was it memorable?" Anna blinked mischievously, her voice playful.
"I don't remember much, but… it happened till dawn," Raya admitted in a shy voice.
"That man must be a beast… is he trying to kill my baby?" Anna said, touching Raya's face in an endearing way. Raya smiled shyly.
"By the way… I saw your dad out there. Sleeping at home in the evening — that's rare," Anna said.
Raya's expression darkened. "He's done it again."
Anna froze. "Owing… again?"
Raya nodded, her voice barely above a whisper. "Yeah."
Anna hesitated. "How much this time?"
Raya hesitated too, hating how small the number sounded, yet how impossible it felt. "Three thousand five hundred."
Her voice broke. "All I have is about $800… my entire savings. I don't even know where to find the rest."
Anna reached into her bag again, pulling out what little cash she had. "Here. Take it. This is $500."
"No — Anna, that's for your school. I can't."
Anna's voice softened, cajoling like a sister soothing a child. "Raya… you don't even know if you'll get a job tomorrow. Just take it. It's a loan, okay? You can pay me back when you can."
Raya stared at her, swallowing hard against the lump in her throat. "Thank you… I'll pay you back. I swear."
Anna pulled her into a tight hug. "I know you will."