Surrender

True or false

I was packing my bag, staring at my вещи, trying to decide what to take.

A swimsuit? Why would I need that there?

What would I even need? Towels… they’d definitely have those. Right?..

My thoughts spiraled, going in circles, never landing anywhere.

Suddenly, my phone rang.

I flinched, my heart jumping—I had been too lost in my head.

Kate.

Of course it was her.

“Damn… what am I supposed to tell her?”

“Hey, Kity… hi.”

“Where have you been? Disappeared again?” her voice came fast, sharp, familiar. “Get ready—we’re getting coffee. I’ll be at our café in ten minutes. No excuses.”

The call ended before I could respond.

I stared at the screen for a second, my chest tightening.

She would ask questions. Of course she would.

And what would I say?

That I was going on vacation?

And the money?

Where did I suddenly get enough for Ada’s surgery?

That I signed a contract with some rich stranger?

Yeah… right.

“I sold a kidney” would sound more believable.

I let out a quiet, nervous breath, threw on my jacket, grabbed my bag, and headed out.

By the time I stepped outside, I couldn’t even remember if I had locked the door. My thoughts were loud, chaotic, drowning everything else out.

Lie… or tell her the truth?

I kept turning it over and over in my head until, somehow, I was already there.

Our café.

I hadn’t even noticed the walk.

It was a small place near my apartment, one we both loved. The tables were set outside, surrounded by flowers so beautiful it felt more like a garden than a café in the middle of the city.

For a moment, everything seemed… normal.

Then—

A sudden impact.

“Got you!”

Kate wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug, nearly knocking the air out of my lungs.

“What—?!”

“Kity, sorry,” I exhaled, blinking, trying to come back to reality. “I was just… lost in thought. Didn’t see you.”

“I already ordered for us,” she said, pulling me toward the table. “Sit. And start talking.”

Her eyes locked onto mine—sharp, searching.

“How’s Ada? Any news?”

I sat there, slowly sipping my coffee, buying time—trying to figure out what to say.

But Kity’s gaze was fixed on me, sharp and unrelenting. She already knew.

I was hiding something.

“Kate… I didn’t want to tell you before,” I began quietly. “I thought it wouldn’t work out…”

The words felt heavy in my throat.

“I went to… an interview.”

Even saying it out loud felt wrong. Unreal.

“Lia, did you get a new job?” she leaned forward, eyes lighting up. “Come on, tell me!”

“Not exactly a job…” I hesitated. “More like… a contract.”

“A contract?” Her smile faded. “What kind of contract?”

She looked at me now with suspicion, and suddenly I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Like if I said it, it would all become real.

“Yes… someone I know offered it to me. His employer is very wealthy. He’s looking for a girl to… entertain him.”

“What?!”

Her reaction was immediate, loud enough that people at nearby tables glanced over.

“Entertain?” she repeated, lowering her voice. “What does that even mean?”

I swallowed.

“You know… it’s… intimate. But the contract is clear—there are limits. Boundaries. Everything is controlled.”

Even as I said it, it sounded fragile. Like something that could break apart under the slightest pressure.

“I don’t even know how to explain it properly,” I added, shaking my head. “It made more sense when they told me… when I wasn’t saying it out loud.”

I looked at her, almost pleading.

“Please don’t tell anyone. This was my only chance. Ada needs surgery—urgently. You know that. Her brain… it could fail at any moment. And even after that, the recovery will take years.”

My voice cracked.

“I need the money, Kate. A lot of it. And fast. I didn’t have a choice.”

The tears came before I could stop them. They blurred everything—her face, the café, the world around me.

For a moment, I hated myself.

For being here.

For what I had agreed to.

For not finding another way.

And most of all—for being so helpless.

“Lia…”

Her voice softened instantly. She reached across the table, taking my hand.

“What have you done?” she whispered. “We could have figured something out. You’re not alone, you know that… Don’t cry. Hey… look at me. It’s going to be okay.”

She tried to calm me, but we both felt it—the truth hanging between us.

I didn’t fully understand what I had just stepped into.

“Are you even sure about this?” she asked more quietly now. “What if he’s dangerous? What if he’s some kind of maniac? Lia… maybe it’s not too late to get out of it.”

“It’s only a trial period,” I said, wiping my tears, trying to steady my voice. “Three weeks. If either of us isn’t satisfied, it ends there. If it works… then there’s a longer contract.”

The words sounded foreign. Too calm for what they meant.

“There are rules,” I added quickly. “Restrictions. He can’t hurt me. No cutting, no choking… nothing like that. It’s all written in the contract. They promised I’d be safe.”

I paused, then looked at her—firmly this time.

“For Ada… I’d do anything.”