A Hell Of Love

ChapterSix

CHAPTER SIX

I don’t even remember how I walked the rest of the way to Sophie’s place. All I know is that my chest felt like it was caving in with every step. The streets around me blurred, my ears buzzed, and my heart carried a weight I couldn’t throw off. For the first time in my life, I hated the silence of the night. It made the chaos in my head louder, clearer—screaming the same truth over and over again: I’m running out of time.

By the time I reached Sophie’s house, my legs felt weak, like I’d borrowed them from someone else and they no longer wanted to carry me. I raised my hand to knock, but before my knuckles touched the door, it swung open. Sophie stood there, eyes widening the second she saw me.

“Lyra…” Her voice was small, concerned. She didn’t even have to ask what was wrong. One look at me and she knew. That’s the thing about Sophie—she could read me without me saying a word.

I forced a shaky smile that didn’t last. My lips trembled before I could hold them still. “Can I… can I come in?”

She stepped aside immediately. “Of course. You’re scaring me already.”

The warmth of her tiny living room wrapped around me, but it didn’t sink into my skin. My body was cold. I sat down on the couch, staring at the worn fabric like it had answers written in it. Sophie sat across from me, waiting, her arms crossed but her eyes soft—patient.

“What happened?” she asked finally, leaning forward.

That was all it took. The moment her words touched the air, everything I had been trying to hold inside cracked. My throat tightened. “Sophie, I—I don’t even know how to say this,” I whispered.

She reached out, resting her hand over mine. “Then just say it however it comes out. You’re shaking, Lyra. What’s wrong?”

I swallowed, and then the whole story poured out of me like water breaking through a dam. I told her about Rex—about how he called me, about the ride to his ridiculous glass castle of a house, about the dinner that felt like a trap from the very start. My voice wavered when I described the moment he slid that contract across the table, how I almost choked when he asked me to be his girlfriend for six months—as if I was some joke he wanted to play.

I laughed bitterly, pressing my hand against my forehead. “He had it all written out, Sophie. Like some business transaction. Crazy conditions that no sane person would ever agree to.”

“What conditions?” she asked carefully, her eyes narrowing.

I forced the words out, one by one, tasting the bitterness in each: “I’d have to pick up his calls anytime, no matter where I am, no matter what I’m doing. I’d have to show up wherever he demanded—no questions asked. Every Friday night, I’d be stuck there. At his house. Sleeping there. Not even with him, apparently, because he made it clear he’d never share a bed with me—like the thought disgusted him or something. But still… every Friday.”

Sophie’s brows furrowed in disbelief, her lips parting slightly.

“And then,” I continued, my voice breaking with anger, “we’d have to attend meetings, occasions—whatever stupid thing he wanted. And to top it all, he wrote in bold letters: no falling in love. Like—like who would even fall for him? The arrogance! As if he’s some prize waiting to be fought over.”

Sophie blinked, her jaw tightening.

I let out a shaky laugh, though it felt more like a sob. “And he just sat there, explaining it all in that cold, lifeless voice. Do you know what he said? That people have started spreading rumors he’s into guys—because he’s never been caught with a girl. And now it’s threatening a major contract his company is expecting. If the rumors get stronger, the deal could collapse, and he can’t risk that. So…” My chest rose and fell as I whispered, “…he needs me to play the role of the girlfriend he doesn’t even want.”

Sophie gasped, covering her mouth.

“And the worst part?” My eyes burned. “He said I was perfect for the role because—I don’t even like him. Can you believe that? He chose me because I’m the only one who wouldn’t get the wrong idea. He even added, almost like a joke, that girls like me would never tempt him. Sophie…” My voice broke, “…do you know how much that stung?”

The room fell silent. Sophie’s face was pale, her hand frozen halfway in the air like she wanted to touch me but couldn’t find the strength.

“And then,” I continued, my voice trembling, “he reminded me that even if I start working, I won’t get money instantly to cover Mom’s surgery. But if I take his contract, the money is instant. Ten thousand dollars just for accepting. More every month. And a huge fee after it’s all over.” I clenched my fists until my nails bit into my skin. “He said it was a mutual benefit. He saves his company’s image, and I save my mother.”

By the time I finished, my chest was heaving. The silence between us was heavy, suffocating. Sophie didn’t say anything at first—she just stared, her eyes glassy, as if she was processing every word slowly.

Finally, she whispered, “Lyra… this is insane.”

“I know,” I whispered back, tears filling my eyes. “I know. But what choice do I have?” My voice cracked. “Two days, Sophie. Just two days before Mom’s surgery. And I don’t have that money. I don’t have time. I can’t even breathe when I think about it.”

My face fell into my hands, and the sob I’d been holding back ripped through me. Sophie rushed to my side immediately, wrapping her arms around me as I cried into her shoulder.

“You shouldn’t have to go through this,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “This isn’t fair. None of this is fair.”

“I don’t want to say yes to him. I hate him, Sophie. I hate how he looks at me like I’m beneath him. Like he’s doing me a favor. I hate him so much, but… if I don’t, Mom…” My words dissolved into tears.

Sophie hugged me tighter, rocking me gently like she used to when we were kids. We stayed like that for what felt like forever, my sobs softening into shaky breaths. When I finally lifted my head, Sophie looked at me with eyes full of sorrow and something else—resignation.

She took my hand in both of hers. “Lyra… listen to me. You don’t have a choice. I hate this as much as you do, but you don’t. It’s your mom’s life. You can’t gamble with that.”

Her words sank deep, heavy, undeniable. I wanted to argue, to scream, but she was right. No matter how humiliating, no matter how crazy the conditions, there was only one path left.

I stared at her, my throat tight, my chest aching. “So… you’re saying I should do it?”

Sophie’s lips trembled, but she nodded. “Yes. For your mom. You have no other choice, Lyra.”

And in that moment, hearing those words from the one person who always stood by me, something inside me cracked. My pride, my anger—it all felt small compared to the weight of losing Mom.

But deep inside, a voice whispered that this decision would change everything.

Forever.