Chapter 3

“This?”

I slammed a sweater hard into the suitcase.

“Tessa, do you know where you were supposed to be today? Sitting across from my parents in that restaurant.”

“And what happened? We waited for you at the restaurant for an hour. My parents asked me three times why you still hadn’t shown up, and I couldn’t even make up an excuse.”

“I was even worried you’d been in a car accident, or that someone had hit you on the way there. I was almost about to call the hospital and check.”

“Instead, you were giving your younger guy money. With my money. Seventy thousand dollars, and you didn’t even ask me once. You just transferred it.”

She fell silent.

“And now you’re telling me he got scammed and couldn’t pay rent, so he moved into our place. Tessa, tell me this—if you lent him the full ten thousand, how is he still unable to pay rent?”

I stared at Tessa and waited for her answer.

She opened her mouth and looked away.

“He got scammed out of nine thousand, and out of that ten thousand, I kept one thousand for his living expenses.”

“So the ten thousand was used to fill the scammer’s hole, and you gave him the remaining one thousand.”

“Yes.”

I didn’t know when Leo had appeared at the bedroom door, but tears were streaming down his face.

“Will, I really didn’t know that money included yours. Tessa told me it was her own savings, and that’s why I…”

“You don’t need to cry.”

I zipped up the suitcase.

“Crying won’t solve anything.”

Tessa came over and tried to hold my hand down. “Will, don’t leave yet. Let’s talk this through.”

“Talk about what?”

Leo said softly from the doorway, “Will, how about I pay you back that one thousand first…”

“That one thousand was mine to begin with.”

I looked at him.

“You got scammed out of nine thousand. That’s your problem. But my seven thousand can’t be short by a single cent.”

“What kind of person are you?”

Tessa’s voice suddenly rose.

“He has nothing right now. Where do you expect him to get the money?”

“I already said it. That’s your problem.”

Leo suddenly rushed over and grabbed my arm.

“Will, don’t go. I’ll go. I’m leaving right now. I’m not staying here anymore.”

“Let go of me.”

“Will, please—”

“I said let go!”

I shook his hand off.

He stumbled back from the force and hit the shoe cabinet with a dull thud.

Tessa’s face changed, and she rushed over to steady him. Then she turned to me, looking as if I’d done something unforgivable.

“Will! What are you doing?!”

I looked at the way she was protecting Leo, and suddenly everything became clear.

“Give me my seven thousand dollars back within three days. Otherwise, I’ll have my lawyer handle it directly.”

Her face changed. “How dare you?”

“See if I dare.”

I pulled the door open and dragged my suitcase out. The hallway lights were still broken, so I took out my phone and turned on the flashlight.

Behind me, Leo’s tearful voice came through. “Tessa, go after him…”