Chapter 1652: A gig from hell

Priscilla was exactly as Jessa had described her: ambitious, opportunistic, and a terrible person who didn’t care if she stepped on others to get what she wanted. Priscilla would never deny that because that was who she was.

However, Jessa was wrong about one thing: that Priscilla just used her brother for her own gain.

No.

Priscilla loved Jason with all her heart and soul.

They met young, fell for each other at first sight, and became inseparable. They would have done anything for each other and spent their days dreaming about the future together. He was everything to her, and he also claimed the same — that his world was her.

But then, somehow, something changed.

Jessa’s brother, Jason, suddenly wanted to leave Priscilla for reasons unknown. He said he was tired of her, that things had become boring, and that the spark between them was gone.

Just like that, he had a change of heart.

In the heat of the moment, Priscilla blurted out, "But I’m pregnant."

She swore she hadn’t meant to lie—but the words slipped out before she could stop them. And at that time, abortion was illegal in Anteca. Even for those who offered it under the table, it was too expensive for two students barely getting by.

Priscilla could have corrected herself and admitted it was a lie.

That it was nothing more than a desperate attempt to keep him from leaving. That she didn’t mean to deceive him.

But she didn’t. Not because she couldn’t—but because after that, Jason promised her the world. He took care of her, made vows to be a good father and husband, and told her he would support their child no matter what.

And the first step toward that future was introducing her to his parents.

At first, the Reed family was reluctant and shocked by the news. But they felt they had no choice—Priscilla was already "pregnant." So, despite thinking their children were too young to raise a family, the Reeds opened their home.

They welcomed Jason and Priscilla in, knowing full well that having a child wasn’t easy. Their gesture was nothing but a show of support while the young couple figured things out.

But even that wasn’t enough to ease the growing tension between Jason and Priscilla—or the crushing pressure of the life they were supposed to be bringing into the world.

Jason dropped out of school to work and provide, and Priscilla tried to adjust to life with her unofficial in-laws. But it wasn’t easy for either of them.

While Jason worked hard for her and their supposed unborn child, Priscilla began to dread the day of her due date.

Her lies were catching up to her. The Reed couple—and even Jessa—started to notice little things, details no pregnant woman should overlook. It began as small, dismissive comments, but slowly, the weight of her own deceit began to crack her psyche.

So she made a decision—right before everything unraveled and her world fell apart.

She would sever what little bond she had left with Jessa and fake a miscarriage.

A decision—a sacrifice—Priscilla was willing to make to keep her lie buried.

Her relationship with Jessa had never been good, after all. Cutting that final thread didn’t hurt as much as it should have.

Priscilla convinced herself that if she could just escape this mess, they could start over. It was just a miscarriage. They could try again someday—that’s the lie she told herself to survive.

But things didn’t go the way she hoped.

If anything, everything spiraled further out of control from the day Jason lost their "child"... and raised his hand against his sister.

Instead of becoming the diligent husband and father he promised to be, Jason fell into a deep depression—a sickness he refused to acknowledge. To cope, he turned to drugs and gambling.

Priscilla tried to stop him, but every attempt ended in heated arguments and violence.

Instead of starting anew, their world fell apart. Not just their relationship—Jason himself was on a path of self-destruction. He fell deep into debt, his addiction spiraling beyond control. First, he stole from his parents. Then, he was fired from his job for underperformance.

That was likely the last straw.

By the time Jason was kicked out of his job, he was already drowning in debt and too lost in his addictions to put his life back together. Instead of fixing things, he stole more—from his parents, from his sister, until eventually, he took everything the humble Reed family had left.

And still, the debt only grew.

Despite everything he sold—which led to his father suffering a fatal heart attack—the money wasn’t enough.

One might think Jason would’ve stopped there. That losing a parent would wake him up. And in some ways, it did. Losing his father hit him like a slap across the face, forcing him to see the devastation he’d caused.

But by then, it was far too late.

Jason was drowning in debt, and the people he owed were no ordinary creditors. They were criminals, capable of every vile act imaginable.

Just as Priscilla had made her decision to keep things as they were—with only her relationship with Jessa sacrificed—Jason also made a decision.

It wasn’t a good one, but he believed it was right.

He turned to dealing drugs—no longer just using them.

With compounding interest adding to his debt every day, he convinced himself that if he did this for a few months—or maybe a year—he could finally clear his debt. Maybe even have something left to start over.

But deep down, both Jason and Priscilla knew that was nothing but wishful thinking.

They were already in too deep. The road back was too far and too dark to even see.

Bad decisions led to more bad decisions, and just when it seemed they couldn’t sink any lower... they made another.

The worst one yet.

They agreed to take on a job from their lender.

A job that would change their lives forever—and not for the better.