All Chapters of The Last Free Pass: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

I did not reply to Dylan Nelson’s attempt to soothe me.I only took the screenshot of the diamond ring recipient change alert, then moved it to my hidden album.The diamond ring had been advertised as a once-in-a-lifetime purchase.When Dylan first bought it, his eyes had been filled with tears as he said, “Jenna, this is the one and only ring I’ll ever buy.”Two hours ago, Bianca had replaced me as its recipient.As I sat alone at the tiny table in our rented apartment, I stared at the confirmation for my spa manicure appointment.It was scheduled for 2 p.m. the next day.I had scraped that money together from my grocery budget, saving for two full months before I could bring myself to book it.Years of doing house chores had left my knuckles thickened and coarse.Every fall, the skin between my thumb and forefinger and around my fingertips cracked in several places, stinging whenever they touched water.I had planned to get a manicure tomorrow, then take a picture after Dyl

Chapter 2

I pushed open the salon door and walked straight to the front desk.“Hi, I’m Jenna Vogel.” I showed them my ID. “Could you please print out the record of yesterday’s appointment change, today’s payment receipt, and the release form for that finished photo?”The receptionist froze for a moment, then checked my information and did as I asked.I took the papers from her. The release form stated that the photo would be used for the salon’s marketing. The model was listed as Bianca, but the payer and the phone number on the release were both mine.I folded the papers, put them into my bag, and headed to my community college night class.I had enrolled in a foundational course on running a food business at the community college. It took place two nights a week and covered permits, cost calculation, and food safety.The course had few openings and a low fee, but for me, it mattered more than anything.I had always wanted to build a small food business with the recipes my mother left be

Chapter 3

When I recognized it, I jumped out of bed and pulled a rusty metal box from beneath it.I opened the box and checked that my mother’s original recipe book was still inside. Only then did I let out a breath of relief.The photocopy was the one I had prepared for my community college business class.It contained my mother’s recipes, along with my personal budget.My paycheck, rent, utilities, debt payments, and every dollar I had managed to scrape together for my future food business were all carefully laid out inside.My fingertips brushed the back of the recipe book, where my mother had once written our old address herself, 18 Willow Lane.I opened a rental app on my phone and found a studio apartment just a few blocks away.The next morning, I was at work revising a report when my phone would not stop buzzing. The night class group chat was flooded with new messages.Someone had reposted a screenshot of Bianca’s social feed, praising her for being so prepared and for taking su

Chapter 4

I stood in the kitchen doorway without saying a word.On the counter were a phone tripod and a ring light, with takeout containers and several bowls of prepared sauces set beside them.Bianca was filming a short video. To keep her trial shift at the nail salon, she had decided to start an inspirational cooking account about learning to make comfort food from scratch.Dylan stood behind the ring light, holding the stand steady.When he noticed me, he froze, then reached over and turned down the burner.My gaze moved past them and landed on the countertop.The metal box had been opened. My mother’s handwritten recipe pages had been spread across the greasy board as a backdrop for the video.Bianca’s hand, with my diamond ring on it, was pressing down on the yellowed paper.I walked over, moved the phone tripod aside, and reached out to close the recipe book.“Jenna, it’s not what you think!” Bianca was flustered when she saw my expression.She jerked her hand back, forgetting a

Chapter 5

After leaving the apartment, I did not go to anyone I knew. I took a cab to Willow Lane. Following the address on my phone, I found the cheap studio that I had rented in advance.Inside, there was only a bed and a chipped nightstand.I took out the ruined recipe page and slipped it carefully into the innermost layer of a document sleeve.Beside it were the notifications confirming the ring recipient change, the course cancellation notice, and Bianca’s photo release form.After setting my phone to silent, I washed my face and laid down on the hard mattress.The screen kept lighting up in the dark. Dylan called from midnight until dawn and left dozens of missed calls, but I never touched the phone.I did not block him or turn it off. I simply watched the screen light up, then fade to black again.At 2 a.m., a message popped up on WhatsApp.He had sent me a screenshot of his memo. The line, “Free pass for letting Bianca hurt Jenna: 0 remaining” had been circled tightly in red.

Chapter 6

“Madam, wait.” I reached out to stop her.She paused and looked me up and down, eyeing my office clothes and commuter bag with obvious confusion.“Would you let me try fixing that sauce?” I asked.Rosie Colombo gave me another long look, clearly with doubt.She pointed toward a small saucepan in the corner of the kitchen. “You’re not touching the big batch. If you want to try, use the leftovers and make a small pot.”I set my bag down, took off my jacket, and tied a clean apron around my waist.I did not tell her my mother’s name nor the recipe book that had been ruined.Standing at the stove, I closed my eyes and pictured my mother cooking when I was little.Heat the pan. Add the ingredients. Adjust the heat. Let the sauce reduce. At first, my movements felt a little rusty, but the rhythm soon came back to me.Half an hour later, I carried a small bowl of the finished sauce over to Rosie.She dipped a piece of bread into it and took a bite. Her eyes widened.Then, she tore

Chapter 7

The rumors had not come from nowhere.I found out later that Dylan had hired someone to track down the places I had been lately. He had saved Rosie’s Pasta Kitchen’s address in his phone.Bianca found it and tracked me down.Just after the lunch rush, Rosie walked into the kitchen with a stern expression while holding a printed flyer.It did not have my full name on it, but it listed my previous job, the studio I had rented, and everything that had happened with the night class.At the bottom, one sentence had been printed in bold.[This woman has a history of theft and is involved in ongoing personal scandals. Hire her at your own risk.]“Someone’s been slipping these under the doors of the shops around here since lunchtime,” Rosie said, watching me cautiously. “Kid, I run a small business. I don’t need this kind of trouble. You…”She did not tell me to leave. That alone was more kindness than I had expected.I picked up a towel and dried my hands before taking the flyer from

Chapter 8

I clicked on the video and watched only ten seconds of it.Bianca did not say my name, but she deliberately showed the sign for Rosie’s Pasta Kitchen, my back in the kitchen, and half of the torn recipe page.While wiping tears in front of the camera, she claimed she was being emotionally bullied by her ex-boyfriend’s fiancee.She even made up a story that I had torn the recipe page myself and poured sauce over it to frame her, all to force her to take off the ring that supposedly represented true love.“So, even wearing a ring is a crime now? What have I done to deserve this?” She was sobbing so hard at the end of the video that she was barely able to catch her breath.It was a masterclass in playing the victim. Within minutes, local users had identified Rosie’s Pasta Kitchen from the sign.The comments section was full of abuse. Some people even said Rosie must have lost her mind to hire such a vicious woman.Watching the view count climb by the second, I did not go live to d

Chapter 9

After taking over the little breakfast window out front, my life became busier, but simpler.Every day at 4:30 a.m. before dawn, I had to be at the restaurant.I brewed coffee, buttered stacks of toast, and got the takeaway counter ready for the morning rush.In the first week, my arms were so sore I could barely lift them. But when I counted the bills in the register and checked the orders in the system at the end of each day, I felt grounded in a way I had not felt in a long time.Dylan showed up every morning.He stood at the back of the line in his suit. When it was his turn, he ordered the cheapest toast-and-coffee set on the menu.I rang it up, took his money, packed the order, and handed it over.I did not charge him a cent more nor did I give him an extra piece of bread.He sent me a list of everything we had paid for together over the past five years.I went through the numbers during lunch and accepted only what I had originally contributed. As for the extra $100,000

Chapter 10

I did not open Bianca’s livestream. However, Rosie handed me her phone after I finished cleaning up.On the screen, Bianca’s hair was a mess. Her makeup had run all over her face. She was cursing Dylan while frantically scrolling through their chat history in front of the camera.“Do you all think Dylan Nelson is a good guy? He was the one who changed the ring to my name! He said Jenna didn’t deserve something that expensive! He told me to use the salon appointment, and he was the one who sent me the course code for the night class! Every time I asked if Jenna would be mad, he told me Jenna was too nice, that Jenna couldn’t live without him, and that she would never actually leave!”Sobbing, she opened a screenshot. It was the original version of Dylan’s memo. “Look at this. This is what he wrote. Free passes for letting me hurt Jenna. He turned Jenna’s pain into a quota just to keep me happy. He’s the disgusting one. He’s the real hypocrite!”She was trying to drag Dylan down wi

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