The deal that changed everything

chapter 1

Aya’s POV

I stepped out of St. Helena Hospital and the cold slapped my face, biting through my coat like it had claws. I hugged myself tighter, arms folded around my body, but it didn’t stop the shaking. I didn’t know if it was the cold or the news I’d just heard.

My phone buzzed in my hand, pulling me from my daze. I looked down. My fingers were white from gripping it too hard. I didn’t even check the screen. Probably another hospital bill. Or a rejection from the million jobs I’d applied to.

I sank onto a metal bench outside the emergency room, curling in on myself like a child trying to disappear. People passed by without looking. I felt invisible. Maybe I already was.

My mom was dying.

The doctor had spoken so gently, like that would soften it: "It’s stage three. The tumor is aggressive. We need to operate within the month."

Operate? I barely had enough to afford the ride back home.

I dropped my head, eyes fixed on my sneakers. Muddy. Torn. I’d owned them since high school. Just like I’d owned false hope.

Then the phone buzzed again.

I forced myself to look.

jake: Can we talk?

My lips curled into a bitter smile. Oh, now he wanted to talk?

Earlier That Day

I hadn’t planned to go back to the apartment. I just needed Mom’s insurance card. That was it.

I slipped my key into the door, moving quietly. The air smelled off—candles, perfume, something sweet. Not mine.

Then I heard it. A low laugh.

Then—a moan.

My chest tightened. My legs moved without permission. Each step toward the living room felt heavier than the last.

I froze in the doorway.

There they were. Tyler. Maya.

Naked. Tangled. Laughing.

jake was on his back. Maya straddled him, her blonde hair spilling over his chest. My best friend. My boyfriend. My couch.

Maya's eyes widened when she saw me. "Lana?!"

I stood there, stiff as stone. "What the hell?"

jake blinked, as if I was the one who’d barged in. He sat up lazily, reaching for a blanket. "You should’ve texted first."

I stared. "This is my apartment."

He gave a careless shrug. "We thought you were at the hospital all night."

I looked at Maya. Her lips were trembling, but she didn’t speak.

"How long?" My voice came out flat.

She looked down. Guilty.

jake didn’t even hesitate. "A few months."

A few months.

My hands balled into fists. My best friend. The girl who held me while I cried about my mother. And him—the man I once thought would marry me.

"You were crying with me, Jenner," I whispered. "You said I wasn’t alone."

She looked at me, tears brimming in her eyes. "We didn’t mean for it to happen, Aya. It just—it happened."

I laughed. A short, sharp sound. "You 'accidentally' landed on my boyfriend?"

jake rolled his eyes. "You’ve been... different. Distant. Always sad."

My breath caught. "My mother is dying."

He stood, wrapping the blanket around his waist. "Exactly. Everything's about her. About stress. Pain. You stopped being fun."

Something cracked in me. "You’re a coward. Both of you."

I turned toward the door.

Maya reached for me. "Wait, Lana. Please. Don’t leave like this. Don’t hate me."

I looked over my shoulder. My eyes were like ice. "I don’t hate you. I pity you."

And then I left.

Back at the Hospital

The memory played over and over in my head, like a nightmare stuck on loop. My stomach twisted.

I had no home. No friend. And my mother was running out of time.

My phone buzzed again.

jenner: You were always too soft, Lana. You should’ve seen it coming.

That did it.

I stood. My legs were shaky, but I forced myself to move.

I wandered through town. Past a florist. A bookstore. A mother pushing a stroller.

My chest ached.

I stopped in front of a bakery when the smell of cinnamon hit me. My stomach growled loudly.

I checked my phone.

Bank Balance: $43.17

I bought the cheapest muffin I could find. The cashier smiled at me like I looked normal.

"Rough day?" she asked.

I tried to smile. It came out crooked. "The worst."

I sat on the sidewalk outside and ate. Slowly. Every bite was dry, but I chewed anyway.

Above me, the sky had turned gray. Like it was mourning too.

I reached into my wallet and pulled out a photo. Me and Mom. Her arms around me, laughing as the ocean splashed at our feet.

My throat tightened.

"Please hold on, Mom. I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose you too."

Then my phone buzzed again. I picked it up slowly.

Unknown Number: Miss Lane, we’ve been trying to reach you.

I stared at the screen. My heart began to pound.

Something was coming.

Something that might change everything.