My mom looked down, her shoulders slumping as if the weight of the suggestion had finally sunk in to her. "I know it’s horrible, but we’re running out of time. The loan sharks–they don’t care about us. They just want their money. If we don’t come up with something soon, they’ll take you or worse."
A wave of nausea washed over me, and I stumbled back, clutching at the armrest of the sofa for support. "You’re asking me to... to what? Put myself in danger just to pay off Dad’s debts?"
Tears pooled in my eyes as I struggled to process the reality of the situation. "How could you even suggest this? I thought we were supposed to be in this together, that we would find another way."
My mom’s face crumpled with guilt, her own tears spilling over as she reached out to touch my arm. "I’m sorry, I
