Chapter 8: The Price
887 Words
Aria didn’t know it yet, but this was the night her life would stop being hers. That night, fate didn’t knock—it forced its way in.
She didn’t move. She couldn’t. Her back stayed pressed against the wall, her fingers curling slightly against it as her heartbeat pounded loudly in her ears. Every instinct told her to run, to disappear, but her legs refused to obey, rooted in place by a fear she couldn’t control.
Silence filled the living room-then her father spoke.
“What way?”
The question came out quieter than before, almost cautious, as if he already sensed the answer wouldn’t be one he could easily accept.
A low chuckle followed, slow and unsettling.
“You have a daughter, don’t you?”
The words didn’t just land—they struck something deep.
Aria’s breath stopped completely.
“No!” her mother cried immediately, her voice breaking in a way Aria had never heard before. “She’s just a child!”
“Children grow up,” one of the men replied flatly.
“Please,” Mrs. Brooke begged, her voice trembling now. “She works. She helps us. She brings money home.”
“Not enough,” another man cut in.
The room fell quiet again, but this time the silence felt colder, heavier, like something had already been decided.
“He’s right,” a third voice added casually. “That kind of girl… she’d sell well.”
Something inside Aria twisted. Her stomach dropped as a sick, sinking feeling spread through her chest.
“No…” her mother whispered weakly. “You can’t take her.”
“We’re not taking her,” the first man said calmly.
A brief pause followed.
Then—
“We’re buying her.”
Aria staggered back, her hand flying to her mouth as her body reacted before her mind could catch up. Her breathing turned uneven, her chest rising too fast, too sharp, as the words echoed over and over in her head.
Buying her—like she was something to be traded.
Her father said nothing.
And somehow, that silence hurt more than anything else.
“…How much?” he finally asked.
Something inside Aria broke.
“You can’t be serious!” her mother cried, her voice rising in disbelief. “You can’t do this!”
“I have no choice!” he snapped.
“You always have a choice!” she shouted, her voice breaking completely.
The men laughed quietly.
“We’ll come tomorrow night,” the first man said. “If the girl is ready, your debt disappears.”
“And if she isn’t?” her father asked.
“Then we start breaking bones.”
A moment later, the door slammed shut, and their footsteps faded into the night, leaving a heavy silence behind.
Aria didn’t wait.
She turned and hurried back to her room, her steps unsteady as her chest tightened with every breath she took. Everything inside her felt strangely numb. Her brother was still asleep, unaware, peaceful.
She sat on the edge of the bed, her hands trembling slightly as she stared ahead without really seeing anything.
They were coming tomorrow.
The thought repeated in her mind until it felt impossible to escape.
Footsteps approached.
Slow. Heavy.
She didn’t look up when the door opened.
“Come to the living room,” her father said.
His voice was steady now.
Aria stood and followed him without a word.
Her mother sat at the table, her face buried in her hands, her shoulders shaking with quiet sobs. The sight made something twist painfully in Aria’s chest, but she forced herself to stay still.
“Sit down,” he ordered.
She didn’t.
“What do you want?” she asked instead.
He looked at her, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“I’m in trouble,” he said.
“I know.”
“You were listening.”
She didn’t deny it.
“You heard everything.”
Aria nodded.
The silence that followed felt final, like something had already been decided long before this moment.
Then he said it.
“You’re going with them tomorrow.”
Her mother broke down again. “No! Please, no—”
Aria didn’t look at her.
She kept her eyes on him.
“You’re selling me,” she said.
“It’s the only way,” he replied coldly. “You’re my daughter.”
“No,” Aria said quietly, her voice steady despite the storm building inside her. “I’m not.”
His jaw tightened. “You live in my house. You eat my food.”
“And that gives you the right to sell me?”
“You should be grateful,” he snapped. “At least your life is worth something.”
Her mother rushed forward, clutching her hands. “I won’t let them take you,” she cried.
Aria looked at her and understood everything.
Her mother was weak, sick, and powerless.
They couldn’t fight this.
No one could.
Gently, she pulled away. “I’ll go.”
“No!” her mother sobbed.
Aria forced a small smile. “It’s okay.”
It wasn’t—but she said it anyway.
Outside, the clouds parted, revealing the silent moon.
Tomorrow night, her life would no longer be hers.
But one question remained—
would she survive what came after?
- Writer
