Ava’s POV
I stand there, frozen, staring at my stepmom and Sarah as their words sink in. A VIP customer is waiting for me at the stripper house.
I feel like the ground just shifted beneath my feet. My stomach twists, and my hands clench at my sides. “Why can’t Sarah go instead?” I blurt out, unable to hold it in. I know it’s dangerous to talk back, but the words slip out before I can stop them.
The moment I say it, my stepmom’s face twists in anger. Her fake smile vanishes, replaced by that familiar look of pure disgust she always has when she looks at me. “Don’t you ever say that again!” she snaps, her voice sharp and cold.
I flinch but stay where I am.
“Sarah will never be a stripper,” she hisses, like the thought alone is insulting. “She’s too good for that. You, on the other hand…
