Decision

Chapter 1

Jessica arrived at the shop just as the rusty shutter was being dragged halfway up, its screech echoing like a protest against another long, exhausting day. The air smelled of dust and stale goods, and the flickering fluorescent light above the counter reminded her too much of her own life,unsteady, dull, and always on the verge of going out.

She tied her apron slowly, her fingers trembling, though she couldn’t tell if it was from fatigue or the weight pressing on her chest.

Her mind wasn’t in the shop.

It was still on the road she had taken the night before the one that led her past the sleek black car that had stopped briefly at the junction. The tinted window had rolled down just enough for her to see a familiar face.

Abigail.

But not the Abigail she remembered.

This one wore confidence like armor. Her hair gleamed, her skin glowed, and her laughter had sounded… expensive. The lady in the driver’s seat looked like someone who had never known hunger a day in her life.

Jessica had frozen then, groceries slipping from her hands into the dust.

Two years.

Two years ago, they had stood together under the same leaking roof, dreaming of escape. Abigail had left first, chasing “greener pastures.” Jessica had stayed behind with a sick mother, unpaid bills, and a job that barely paid enough to survive.

And now…

Now the gap between them felt like an ocean.

“Jessica!” her boss snapped, pulling her back. “Customers are waiting. Do you want to lose this job too?”

She swallowed hard and forced a nod.

But even as she rang up items, her thoughts spiraled.

What changed her? How did she do it? And… Why didn’t she come back for me?

By midday, she couldn’t take it anymore.

The questions clawed at her insides until they became unbearable.

She made a decision.

Abigail’s house stood at the end of a quiet street,a sharp contrast to the cramped, noisy neighborhood Jessica had grown up in. The building was painted a clean white, with tall gates and a small garden that looked like it had never known neglect.

Jessica hesitated at the gate.

This can’t be her house.

But it was.

A security guard eyed her suspiciously before finally letting her in after she mentioned Abigail’s name.

Inside, everything felt… wrong.

Too perfect.

Too quiet.

“She’s not here,” a maid told her after a quick glance. “Madam is at her boutique.”

Boutique.

The word echoed in Jessica’s mind as she stepped back outside.

Abigail had a boutique?

Her chest tightened.

The boutique was even more intimidating.

Glass walls, bright lights,clothes that looked like they belonged in magazines, not on people Jessica knew.

She almost turned back.

But then she saw her.

Abigail stood behind the counter, laughing with a customer. She looked effortless like she had always belonged here, like she had never struggled a day in her life.

For a moment, Jessica felt invisible.

Then Abigail turned.

Their eyes met.

And everything changed.

“Jessica?” Abigail’s voice carried a mix of surprise…

Jessica forced a smile. “Hi.”

The customer left soon after, sensing the shift in the air.

Silence settled between them.

“You look…” Abigail began, then stopped.

“Poor?” Jessica finished quietly.

Abigail sighed. “That’s not what I meant.”

“But it’s true,” Jessica said, her voice cracking despite her effort to stay composed. “I’m still at that shop. My salary isn’t even up to fifty dollars. My mum is sick. I can barely feed us.

Meanwhile…” She gestured around. “You have all this.”

Abigail’s expression hardened slightly, like a door closing.

“It wasn’t easy,” she said.

“Then help me,” Jessica said quickly, desperation spilling out. “Please. I don’t want to live like this anymore.”

For a long moment, Abigail just stared at her.

Then she nodded slowly.

“I’m going back to the city tomorrow,” she said. “Come early. If you’re serious, I’ll take you with me.”

Jessica’s heart leapt.

“Really?”

“Yes,” Abigail replied. “But you have to be ready for whatever comes.”

Jessica didn’t hesitate.

“I am.”

Abigail held her gaze a second longer than necessary.

“Be here at dawn.”

Jessica didn’t sleep that night.

Hope was a dangerous thing.It made the darkness feel deeper, the hunger sharper. But it also gave her something she hadn’t felt in a long time.

A chance.

Before leaving, she stood by her mother’s bedside, watching her fragile chest rise and fall.

“I’ll fix everything,” Jessica whispered. “I promise.”

Her mother didn’t wake.

The journey to the city felt like stepping into another world.

The roads grew smoother, the buildings taller, the air heavier with ambition and something else Jessica couldn’t quite place.

By the time they arrived, the sun was setting, painting the skyline in gold.

Jessica’s breath caught.

“This place…” she whispered.

Abigail didn’t respond.

Instead, she led Jessica through a maze of streets until they reached a building that looked more like a luxury hotel than a home.

Inside, the atmosphere shifted.

It was subtle at first.

The glances. The whispers. The way people looked at Abigail not just with admiration, but with something darker.

Respect… mixed with fear.

Jessica’s unease grew.

“Abigail,” she said quietly. “What exactly do you do here?”

Abigail didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, she opened a door and gestured for Jessica to enter.

The room was lavish,soft lighting, plush furniture, a bed that looked too large for one person.

Jessica’s stomach dropped.

“This is where I stay,” Abigail said.

Jessica turned to her slowly.

“And what do you do?”

This time, Abigail met her eyes.

“I survive.”

“That’s not an answer.”

A pause.

Then,

“I sell company,” Abigail said calmly.

Jessica frowned. “What do you mean?”

Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating.

Then the truth landed.

Hard,

Cold,

Unforgiving.

“No…” Jessica shook her head, backing away.

“No, Abigail. Tell me you don’t mean”

“I do,” Abigail cut in.

Jessica’s chest tightened, panic rising.

“You’re… you’re a”

“Say it,” Abigail challenged.

Jessica couldn’t.

The word felt too heavy, too ugly.

“I didn’t have a choice,” Abigail continued, her voice steady but her eyes betraying something deeper. “You think I got all this by luck? By working in some office? The world doesn’t reward girls like us that way.”

Jessica’s vision blurred.

“You could have told me,” she whispered.

“And you would have come?” Abigail shot back. “No. You wouldn’t have. Just like now,you’re already looking at me like I’m something less.”

“I’m not”

“You are,” Abigail said quietly. “Everyone does.”

Jessica shook her head, tears slipping down her face.

“I can’t do this,” she said. “I won’t.”

Abigail nodded, as if she had expected it.

“Then leave.”

The words hit harder than Jessica expected.

“Just like that?”

“Yes,” Abigail said. “Because once you stay… it’s not easy to walk away.”

Jessica didn’t wait.

She turned and ran.

The city at night was nothing like it had seemed at sunset.

It was louder,darker,colder.

Jessica walked aimlessly, her mind spinning, her heart racing.

She had no money.

No place to stay.

No plan.

Hours passed.

The streets grew emptier.

The shadows deeper.

And then she realized something terrifying.

She was being followed.

At first, it was just a feeling,a prickling at the back of her neck. But then she heard it.

Footsteps,

Slow,

Deliberate,

Matching her pace.

Jessica quickened her steps.

So did the footsteps.

Her breathing grew uneven.

“Hello?” she called out, her voice trembling.

No response.

Just closer footsteps.

Her heart pounded as she turned a corner and suddenly, a hand grabbed her arm.

She screamed.

“Quiet!” a voice hissed.

Jessica struggled, panic surging through her.

“Let me go!”

The grip tightened.

“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” the man said, his tone low and dangerous.

Fear flooded her veins.

“Let her go.”

The voice was sharp, commanding.

Familiar.

The man froze.

Slowly, he released Jessica.

She stumbled back, her eyes wide.

Abigail stood a few feet away, her expression unreadable.

“Leave,” she told the man.

He hesitated.

Then, without a word, he disappeared into the shadows.

Jessica collapsed to her knees, shaking.

Abigail approached her slowly.

“I told you,” she said softly. “The city isn’t kind.”

Jessica looked up at her, tears streaming down her face.

“I don’t belong here,” she whispered.

Abigail crouched in front of her.

“Maybe not,” she said. “But neither do I.”

Jessica blinked.

“What do you mean?”

Abigail’s gaze flickered just for a moment.

“I didn’t bring you here just to help you,” she admitted.

Jessica’s heart skipped.

“Then why?”

A pause.

A hesitation.

Then,

“Because I need you.”

Jessica frowned.

“For what?”

Abigail stood, her expression hardening again.

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

A cold chill ran down Jessica’s spine.

“What does that mean?”

But Abigail didn’t answer.

Instead, she extended her hand.

“Come with me,” she said.

Jessica stared at it, her mind racing.

Behind her, the darkness of the street seemed to close in.

Ahead of her, Abigail’s world waited,dangerous, mysterious, and filled with secrets.

And somewhere deep inside, a voice whispered:

There’s more to this than you know.

Jessica hesitated.

Then, slowly…

She reached out and took Abigail’s hand.

As they walked back into the building, Jessica couldn’t shake the feeling that she had just crossed a line she could never uncross.

And as the door shut behind them with a soft click, one thought echoed in her mind,

What exactly has Abigail dragged me into?.