Chapter 1My eyes widened as I continued to clutch the invitation Roberto had handed to me, the owner of the bakery where I regularly delivered the bread my mother and I baked. I kept reading the same lines over and over, as if hoping the words would somehow change.“Exclusive Gala for Selected Young Ladies. Compensation: 350 USD for a night.”For others, that amount might seem small. But for me, it meant more than a week’s worth of food, milk for Zarek, and medicine in case he got sick. It meant a bit of comfort in our small hut that always felt short of air and light. It meant something special for my baby’s birthday.I took a deep breath and placed the paper on the table. My hands were trembling.“I can’t,” I whispered to myself.They were only looking for young, unmarried women, a maiden, and I was no longer one.I sat on the old wooden stool, trying to push away the heaviness in my chest. But the exhaustion crept back in, not just in my body but in my mind, which was constantly w
Last Updated : 2026-07-02 Read more