Liam sat on the edge of his bed, phone gripped tight in his hand, staring at the screen like it might suddenly make sense if he looked hard enough.
His account Balance: $10,247.83
Ten grand. Just sitting there. Real money that wasn't going anywhere.
'Where the hell did this come from?'
He'd gotten the notification last night right after Tasha drove off. Unknown number. Ten thousand dollars deposited. No explanation, no message, nothing.
His thumb hovered over the banking app's transaction history. The deposit was listed as "Transfer - External Source." That was it. No name attached, no reference number he could trace.
'Did the system do this?'
The thought felt insane even as it crossed his mind, but what else made sense? That glowing heart above Tasha's head had filled up last night on the roof. One out of three locked hearts, now unlocked. And then ten grand just appears in his account?
"System," he said to the empty room. "What does that full heart mean? The one that unlocked last night?"
Text appeared in his vision immediately, glowing letters hanging in the air.
[Hearts represent Total Loyalty progression. When fully unlocked, the target becomes completely devoted to Host.]
His stomach twisted. "Devoted how?"
[Target will prioritize Host's needs above their own. They will remain loyal, supportive, and committed regardless of circumstances. This bond is permanent once all hearts are unlocked.]
"And the money?" he asked. "Did you send me the ten grand?"
[Affirmative. Heart One unlocked. Monetary compensation provided.]
His shoulders dropped. He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. 'The money is real. I'm not losing my mind.'
"So every time I unlock a heart, I get paid?"
[Correct. Compensation increases with each subsequent heart unlocked per target.]
He sat up straighter. "Wait. Increases? So it's not the same amount every time?"
[Correct. Heart One provides base compensation. Heart Two provides increased compensation. Heart Three provides maximum compensation.]
Liam stared at the text, his pulse quickening. "You're telling me I can just... keep doing this? Keep unlocking hearts and getting paid?"
[Affirmative.]
'Total loyalty. Permanent devotion. That's what the system is offering. That's fucking insane.'
He shook his head. Three hearts per girl. And the money went up each time he unlocked one.
'I could pay off my student loans. Help Mom with her medical bills, God knows she needs it, even though she never tells me the actual numbers. Maybe even get a car so I don't have to walk everywhere or rely on Kelvin.'
Sofia was at ninety-three. Miss Kelly at seventy. 'If I just keep going with them, unlock more hearts...'
His phone buzzed in his hand, cutting through his thoughts.
The screen lit up. New message.
~Unknown: Liam, it's Clara. Your mom fainted. They took her to Memorial Hospital on Fourth Street. I'm here with her now. Please come.
The words blurred together at first. He blinked, read them again.
His stomach dropped through the floor.
"Shit."
He was moving before the panic fully hit. T-shirt yanked off the back of his desk chair, pulled over his head while he stumbled toward his jeans crumpled on the floor.
He shoved his legs through, nearly tripping as he hopped on one foot trying to get them up.
His hands trembled as he grabbed his apartment keys off the counter, the small brass key attached to a plain black keychain. Wallet. Phone.
He bolted out the door, taking the stairs two at a time until he hit the street.
---
A bus stop stood three blocks away.
Liam ran the entire distance, his lungs burning by the time he reached the covered bench. He checked the schedule posted on the pole, next bus in four minutes.
'Four minutes. Come on.'
He paced back and forth, pulling out his phone. No new messages. He checked the time. 9:47 AM. He opened Clara's message again, reading it for the third time like the words might change.
When the bus finally pulled up, the doors hissing open, he practically jumped inside.
"Fourth and Memorial," he said to the driver, swiping his card.
"That'll be forty minutes with traffic," the driver said without looking up.
'Forty minutes. Mom's in the hospital and it's going to take forty minutes to get there.'
Liam dropped into a seat near the back, leg bouncing as the bus pulled away from the curb. The route took them through downtown, stopping every few blocks to let people on and off. Each stop dragged on forever.
He checked his phone. Still no new messages. He opened his banking app, closed it, then checked Clara's text again. His thumb hovered over her name.
His phone buzzed in his hand. Kelvin's name flashed across the screen.
Liam stared at it. The call rang once. Twice. Three times.
He couldn't answer. His brain wasn't working right. Everything felt like it was moving too fast and too slow at the same time.
The call went to voicemail.
Every red light made his jaw clench tighter. The bus driver took a turn like he had all day. An old woman at the front struggled with her shopping bags, taking forever to get off at her stop.
He stared out the window, watching the buildings blur past. His phone sat in his lap, and he kept picking it up, checking the time, checking for messages, putting it down, then picking it up again thirty seconds later.
The bus finally pulled up to the hospital stop.
Liam was out the door before it fully opened, jogging across the parking lot toward the main entrance.
The automatic doors slid open and the smell hit him immediately, disinfectant and something chemical underneath that made his stomach turn. The fluorescent lights were too bright, washing everything in harsh white.
He scanned the lobby, eyes darting across faces until he spotted blonde hair near the nurses' station.
"Clara!"
She turned, and her whole body sagged. Her breath came out in a rush and her eyes filled up. She crossed the space between them fast, throwing her arms around his neck.
"Liam, thank God."
He wrapped his arms around her automatically, her body pressed against his, solid and warm.
"Where is she?" he asked, pulling back slightly.
Clara's blonde hair was cut shorter than he remembered, a neat bob that ended just below her jaw.
Dark smudges sat under her eyes, and her mascara had run in thin black streaks down her cheeks. She wore a fitted grey sweater and dark jeans, casual but clean.
"Room 314," she said, her voice cracking.
"I went to see her around eight this morning, you know, to tell her I was leaving for school soon. When I got there..." She paused, swallowing hard. Her hands twisted together.
"She was just lying on the floor. Not moving. I didn't know if she was breathing. I thought she was dead, Liam."
His chest tightened. "You did the right thing calling 911."
"They got there fast, but I don't know how long she was down before I found her. What if I'd come later? What if I hadn't decided to visit today at all?" Clara voice broke completely and she pressed a hand to her mouth.
A woman in a white coat walked up before Clara could finish. Mid-forties, dark hair pulled back tight, the kind of face that said she'd seen too much to waste words.
"Liam Carter?"
"Yeah, that's me."
"I'm Dr. Patel. We need to talk about your mother's condition." She gestured toward a small consultation room off to the side. "This way."
Liam's legs felt heavy as he followed. Clara stayed close, her presence the only thing keeping him from completely losing it.
Dr. Patel closed the door and didn't waste time. "Your mother's condition is serious. The tests show significant cardiovascular deterioration. If your friend hadn't found her when she did, we'd be having a very different conversation right now."
Liam's throat went dry. "Is she gonna be okay?"
"She needs surgery. A valve replacement. It's not optional at this point, without it, another episode like this morning will likely kill her."
The words hit him like a punch to the gut. The room tilted slightly.
"How much?" His voice came out quieter than he meant.
"Total cost for the surgery and recovery is approximately $250,000."
'Two hundred and fifty grand.'
He had ten. 'Ten grand that felt like winning the lottery an hour ago. Now it's pocket change.'
"I don't have that kind of money," he said quietly.
"We can set up a payment plan," Dr. Patel said quickly.
"If you can provide a minimum down payment of five grand, we can proceed with the surgery immediately. The rest can be financed through the hospital over time."
His phone rang before he could process that. The vibration loud in the small room.
Kelvin's name flashed on the screen.
"I gotta take this," Liam muttered, stepping into the hallway. His hands shook as he answered. "Yeah?"
"Dude, where the hell are you?" Kelvin's voice came through loud. "Miss Kelly just asked me why you weren't in class. She's got this weird look on her face, man. What's going on? You hooking up with our teacher or something?"
"I'm at the hospital." The words came out broken. "My mom collapsed. She needs surgery."
Silence.
"What? Shit, is she gonna be okay?"
"Doctor says she needs surgery or she's gonna die." He couldn't get anything else out. His throat closed up completely.
"How much is it?" Kelvin asked, his voice dropping.
"Two hundred and fifty grand."
A longer silence this time.
"That's... fuck. That's a lot of money."
"Yeah." Liam leaned against the wall, squeezing his eyes shut. "I know."
"Listen, let me call you back. The doctor's coming out again."
"Alright. I'm here if you need anything. Anything, man."
The call ended. Dr. Patel stepped back into the hallway, her face patient but firm.
"Mr. Carter, I need your decision. The sooner we operate, the better her chances."
'Ten grand sitting in my account. Not enough. Not even close. But it's more than nothing.'
"I'll do the down payment," he said. "Start the surgery. I'll figure out the rest somehow."
Dr. Patel nodded. "Payment can be processed at the billing office on the second floor. Once that's complete, we'll get her scheduled immediately."
His phone buzzed again before he could move.
Bank Alert: Deposit of $100,000 from Kelvin Monroe
Liam stared at the notification. His vision blurred at the edges. His hands started shaking harder and he had to read it three more times before it felt real.
'A hundred grand. Kelvin just sent me a hundred grand without even asking questions.'
He stood there for a moment, not trusting himself to speak. Then he pulled up his messages.
~Liam: Holy shit man, thank you so much
~Kelvin: Don't even worry about it man. Take care of your mom.
"Actually," Liam said, his voice steadier now, "I can pay more than the minimum. Let me take care of it right now."
Clara had followed him to the billing office, waited while he processed the payment, and walked back with him to the surgical wing without saying a word. Now they sat in the waiting area outside surgery. Dr. Patel had said it would take three to four hours.
"She's gonna be okay," Clara said quietly.
They'd been sitting in silence for twenty minutes. Clara kept fidgeting with her phone, scrolling through it without really looking at anything.
'Focus on anything else. Anything to stop thinking about what's happening in that operating room.'
That's when he noticed, Clara had really changed since high school.
When she shifted in her seat, her grey sweater stretched across her chest, clinging to curves he definitely didn't remember from before. The fabric had ridden up slightly, showing a strip of pale skin at her waist. Her dark jeans hugged her thighs, and when she crossed one leg over the other, he caught himself following the movement.
'She didn't look like this back then. When the hell did that happen?'
Above her head, a number glowed
60/100
"Thank you," he said, dragging his eyes back to her face. "For calling the ambulance. For staying. You saved her life."
Clara shook her head, blonde hair swaying slightly with the movement.
"I just called 911. You're the one who paid for the surgery. You're the one who actually saved her." She smiled, small but real. "I've always thought you were cool, Liam. But this? This is something else."
Her eyes lingered on his face. She bit her bottom lip, then looked down at her hands. When she glanced back up, her expression had gone softer, open in a way that made it hard for him to look away.
"I'm glad I was there," Clara said quietly. "I mean, I wish it hadn't happened at all, but... I'm glad I could help."
Liam nodded, not trusting himself to say anything that wouldn't sound stupid.
They sat in silence after that, the only sounds the hum of fluorescent lights and the occasional page over the hospital intercom. Clara stayed close, her shoulder just barely touching his, and neither of them moved away.
She took a breath, opened her mouth.
"Liam Carter?"
A nurse called from across the waiting room, clipboard in hand.