DON’T STOP (Lila and Darrell) novel Chapter 131

Chapter 131

Chapter 131

Scarlett

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The anger from the loan sharks still burned in my chest like acid. I couldn’t go straight home yet. My mind was too loud, t chaotic. I needed something to numb it.

“Change of plans.” I told the taxi driver. “Take me to a bar first. Any decent one on the way.”

The driver nodded and turned onto a different road. As we drove through the dimly lit streets, the evening/sky already turning deep purple, my eyes caught something that made my stomach drop.

There, standing by the roadside under a flickering streetlight, was Martha.

My little sister.

She was dressed in a short skirt that barely covered her thighs and a revealing top that left very little to the imagination. Sh was laughing and talking closely with a man, their hands touching, bodies leaning into each other like they were already familiar.

“Stop the car.” I said urgently. “Please drop me off here.”

The driver pulled over. I quickly paid him and told him to keep the change, then hurried out, heart hammering.

What the hell is she doing here? It’s almost night.

I stayed hidden in the shadows of a nearby alley, watching them from a distance. They looked too comfortable. Too intimate.

“What the hell are they talking about?” I whispered to myself.

That was when I heard the man’s voice clearly.

“So how much for a night?”

My heart skipped a painful beat. No. I must have heard wrong.

Martha smiled at him sweetly. “Just 700$.”

“Oh come on, that’s too much for just a night! I’ll give you 500?”

I almost cried right there on the sidewalk. My hands trembled as I pressed myself harder against the wall. This couldn’t be happening. My baby sister – the one whose bills I was killing myself to pay – couldn’t be doing this.

I didn’t want to believe it. I refused to jump out and confront them yet. Instead, I stayed hidden, pulled out my phone with shaking fingers, and dialed Martha’s number.

From my hiding spot, I watched her take out her phone.

“Hold on,” she said to the man, “I’m getting a call.” She motioned for him to stay quiet, then cleared her throat and answered with a loud, excited squeal.

“Hey sister!”

I stood there frozen, staring at her from the darkness while her cheerful voice rang in my ear.

What a fucking joke.

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08:50 Mon, Jul 13

Chapter 131

“Where are you right now?” I asked. trying to keep my voice steady.

Martha swallowed audibly on the other end. I saw her head snap up as she scanned the area. She was looking straight toward the shadows where I was hiding. My heart jumped. I quickly ducked deeper behind the corner of the building, pressing my back against the cold wall.

“I’m actually at home,” she said, her tone too bright, too forced.

“Oh, that’s nice,” I replied, keeping my voice calm. “I was actually able to come to your place.”

“What?” Martha’s voice cracked with panic. “Um… I’m not really at home right now. I just went out to get something. You don’t have to come, really. You’ll probably come tomorrow, but definitely not today.”

“Why not?” I pressed. “I’m your sister. Or you don’t want me coming over to your place now?”

“It’s not that,” she said quickly. “Just that I want to be alone today, please.”

“Or maybe you’re not at home.” I said, stepping out of the shadows and walking toward her.

Martha’s eyes widened the moment she saw me. “Scarlett? Am I seeing things or what?”

I stopped a few feet away, staring at her. “I can see this is your place… your new apartment.”

Martha gasped sharply and jerked away from the man, nearly stumbling in her short skirt. “Oh my God, what are you doing here?”

I walked right up to her, glaring hard before flicking my eyes to the man and back to her. “I should be the one asking you that. What are you doing here, Martha?”

Martha’s face paled. She looked between me and the guy, then muttered, “Look, sis… I’m sorry. It’s just…”

“It’s just what?” I snapped.

I turned to the man. “Leave. Excuse us.”

He shrugged, muttered something under his breath, and walked away without argument.

Martha sighed deeply, shoulders slumping. At that moment, I wanted to cry. Not just a few tears – the kind that rips from your chest.

“You better start explaining right now,” I said, my voice low and shaking.

Martha bit her bottom lip hard, eyes glistening. “Remember the money you gave for my bills and Mom’s extra bills? Yes, the money you sent recently.”

“What happened?”

She sighed again, looking at the ground. “I got scammed of everything… and I had no choice but to come out here. A friend told me they would pay.”

I sighed deeply, the weight of her words crashing over me. I wanted to cry, not because of the lost money or the scam, but because my little sister was standing here selling herself on the street. Yes, I did this behind closed doors too – masked, anonymous, on camera–but I never wanted this life for her. I hated that she had been pushed to this point.

“You know what?” I said, my voice cracking. “Go home. I will send you some money.”

Martha’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Yes. Just go home, please.”

08:50 Mon, Jul 13 d

Chapter 131

She threw her arms around me in a tight hug. “That is why I love you so much. You are the best sister ever.”