Chapter 4

"Something this small?"

I slammed a sweater into the suitcase.

"Ethan, do you have any idea where you were supposed to be today? You were supposed to be at the restaurant, sitting across from my parents."

My hands were shaking, but I didn't stop.

"And what happened? We waited for you for an hour. My parents asked me three times where you were, and I couldn't even come up with a single lie."

"I was actually terrified that you had gotten into a car accident. I was literally about to start calling local hospitals to check on you."

I zipped the suitcase shut and stood up to look him dead in the eye.

"And all that time, you were busy playing white knight to your junior. With my money. Ten thousand dollars! You didn't even ask me before you transferred it out of our shared account."

He fell silent.

"And now, you’re telling me she got scammed and couldn't pay rent, so she’s living in our apartment."

"Ethan, tell me. If you lent her fifteen grand, how on earth is she still unable to afford rent?"

I stared at Ethan, waiting for his answer.

He opened his mouth, his eyes darting away.

"She got scammed out of nine thousand. Out of that fifteen grand, I left her one thousand for her living expenses."

"So out of fifteen thousand, nine thousand went to pay off her scam debt, and you gave her another grand in cash?"

"Yeah."

Lily, who had quietly crept to the bedroom door at some point, was now letting her tears stream down her face.

"Chloe, I swear I didn't know that money belonged to you. Ethan told me it was his own savings, that's why I..."

"Save your tears,"

I pulled the handle of my suitcase up.

"Crying won't solve anything."

Ethan stepped forward, trying to grab my hand. "Chloe, don't leave yet. Let’s talk about this."

"Talk about what?"

Lily whispered from the doorway, "Chloe, how about I give you back that one thousand first..."

"That one thousand was mine to begin with,"

I looked at her.

"You getting scammed out of nine grand is your own business. But my ten grand? I want every single cent back."

"How can you be so cold-hearted?"

Ethan’s voice suddenly spiked.

"She’s completely broke right now! Where do you expect her to get that kind of money?"

"Like I said, that’s your problem."

Lily suddenly rushed forward and grabbed my arm.

"Chloe, please don't leave. I’ll go. I’ll leave right now. I won't stay here anymore."

"Let go of me."

"Chloe, I beg you..."

"I said, let go!"

I yanked my arm back.

The force made her stumble backward, bumping into the shoe rack with a loud thud.

Ethan’s face went pale. He rushed to support her, then whipped his head around to glare at me as if I had committed some heinous crime.

"Chloe! What is wrong with you?!"

Looking at the way he shielded Lily, everything suddenly became crystal clear.

"You have three days to return my ten thousand dollars. Otherwise, I will contact my lawyer immediately."

His expression shifted to one of sheer disbelief.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."

I opened the door and dragged my suitcase out.

The hallway light was still broken. I pulled out my phone and turned on the flashlight.

Behind me, Lily’s crying voice echoed down the stairs, "Ethan, please go after her..."