The scent of roasted duck and saffron rice filled the dining room, but Maya felt suffocated. The warmth of the chandelier overhead felt like a spotlight, as if she were on trial.
Jackie sat across from her, delicate and poised, her fingers absently toying with the silver bracelet on her wrist—a bracelet that had once belonged to Maya's mother. Next to her, Jackie's mother sipped her wine gracefully, exchanging glances with Maya's father.
"…I really didn't want to say anything, Dad," Jackie murmured, her voice laced with hesitance. "But I couldn't keep quiet anymore. It's about Maya."
Maya tensed, her grip tightening around her fork. Here we go.
Her father frowned. "What is it?"
Jackie hesitated, glancing toward her mother for reassurance. "Some of your associates… they've been talking about Maya. Saying she's been—" She swallowed, as if struggling with her words. "—offering herself to men for money."
The words didn't register at first. The room blurred, the clatter of silverware against plates dulling as Maya's heartbeat roared in her ears.
Then, her father's voice cut through the fog. "What did you just say?"
Jackie's mother leaned forward, her expression one of false concern. "We weren't sure if we should bring it up, but it's become… a reputation issue."
Maya blinked, her hands trembling under the table. "You're lying." Her voice was barely a whisper.
Jackie turned to her, eyes glistening with fake sympathy. "Maya… I wish I were. But there are messages. Pictures."
Her mother sighed. "One of your father's associates even claimed Maya approached him at a private event."
Maya's stomach twisted violently. "That's not true," she hissed.
Jackie pulled out her phone. "Then how do you explain this?"
She turned the screen toward the table. A blurry image of a girl with golden-brown hair, leaning too close to an older man, filled the screen. The lighting was dim, the angle obscuring her face just enough to create doubt.
Maya's breath hitched. "That's not me."
Her father's jaw clenched. "Then why does it look like you?"
She shook her head, her heart pounding against her ribs. "I—I don't know! Someone must have—"
"Enough." His voice was razor-sharp. "I've ignored your reckless behavior for too long, Maya. But this—this is beyond disgraceful."
Maya's hands turned ice-cold.
"I didn't do this," she said, her voice cracking. "You know I would never—"
"I don't know anything about you anymore," he spat. "For years, I've given you everything. And this is how you repay me? By throwing yourself at my business partners like some—"
The word hung in the air, unspoken but there.
Maya's throat tightened, the air in her lungs vanishing.
Her past crashed into her like a tidal wave.
Her father, towering over her, fist clenched. The sting of his slap. The way he spat words like "shame" and "burden" in her face. The way her mother looked away, pretending it wasn't happening. The way she had learned to shrink, to become small, to survive.
Her hands curled into fists. Not again. Not again. Not again.
Jackie reached across the table, resting a hand on her father's arm. "Dad, don't be too harsh on her. Maybe she was just… lost. Maybe she just needed attention."
Maya flinched. Jackie wasn't just ruining her reputation. She was painting her as pathetic.
Jackie's mother sighed dramatically. "This isn't just about Maya, sweetheart. This affects your father's image. Imagine what people will think of him."
Her father's eyes darkened. "You've humiliated me."
Maya shot up from her seat, her chair scraping against the marble floor. "I didn't do this!"
Jackie shrank back as if Maya had screamed at her, clutching her chest. "I—I was just trying to help."
Her father's expression twisted into something unfamiliar. Disgust. "You are a disgrace."
The words slammed into her like a fist.
Maya gasped, stepping back as the room spun. He wasn't just angry. He hated her.
Jackie's mother let out a soft sigh, tilting her head. "Maybe… maybe we should check Maya's things. Just to clear up any doubts."
Maya's stomach dropped. What?
Jackie bit her lip, looking down as if hesitant. "Mom… I don't think that's necessary."
Maya's father's gaze snapped to her. "Go get her bag."
Maya's breath hitched. "You can't be serious."
Jackie's mother gave her a pitiful smile. "If you have nothing to hide, dear, there's no reason to worry."
Maya's heart pounded as Jackie left the dining room, returning moments later with Maya's purse. She placed it in front of their father, her hands trembling like she was reluctant, like this was all so painful for her.
Maya's father yanked the zipper open, digging through her belongings.
Then, he froze.
Slowly, he pulled out a small plastic bag filled with white powder.
The room went silent.
Maya's breath left her body. No. No. No.
Her father's hand trembled as he turned to her, his face pale with fury. "What the hell is this?"
Maya's ears rang. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think.
Jackie's mother let out a horrified gasp. "Oh, sweetheart… you're doing drugs?"
Maya snapped out of her daze. "That's not mine!"
Jackie covered her mouth, her eyes glistening. "Maya… why didn't you tell us?"
"I DIDN'T—" Maya's voice broke.
Her father slammed his fist onto the table, making the plates jump. "Get out."
Maya blinked. "What?"
His eyes burned with an anger she had never seen before. "I don't care where you go. But you are not staying under my roof."
Jackie stepped beside him, her face a perfect mask of concern. "It's for your own good, Maya. Maybe this is what you need to get better."
Her father's voice was final. "Take your things and leave. Now."
Maya's fingers twitched. This couldn't be happening.
Jackie's mother smiled faintly. "Where will you go, sweetheart?"
Maya forced her feet to move. She grabbed her coat, her vision blurry as she pushed open the door and stepped into the cold night air.
The weight of everything crushed her chest.
She had nowhere to go.
And for the first time in her life, she was truly alone.