Chapter 4

After dragging my suitcase for twenty minutes, I got to the motel near the apartment complex.

About ten minutes later, my phone rang. It was my mom.

I took a deep breath and answered. “Mom.”

“Did you get home?” Her voice was very calm, as if nothing had happened that afternoon.

“I did, Mom. Don’t worry.” I didn’t tell her I was staying at a hotel.

“That’s good.” She paused. “Will, don’t rush too much about the money. Mom will transfer you twenty thousand tomorrow. Use it first.”

“No need, Mom. I can handle it myself.”

“Listen to me.”

My mom’s voice suddenly turned serious.

“You’re out there on your own. You can’t be without money on hand. That seven thousand was money you worked hard to save. If she doesn’t pay it back, you can’t just let it go.”

“I know, Mom. I gave her three days.”

“Three days?” My mom was silent for a moment. “What if she really doesn’t pay?”

“Then I’ll go to a lawyer.”

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end, then my mom let out a soft laugh. “All right, my son has made up his mind. Then do it your way.”

After hanging up, I took a shower.

When I came out, there were six missed calls on my phone.

All of them were from Tessa.

After the sixth missed call, she sent me a message:

“Will, you scared Leo badly. He cried in the living room for two hours. Can’t you have a little conscience?”

I stared at that message for a long time. Even now, she was still worrying about her younger guy.

I didn’t reply. I just turned my phone off and went to sleep.

The next morning at seven, I was woken by a knock on the door.

“Room service.” It was a man’s voice from outside.

I froze. I hadn’t ordered room service. I walked to the door and looked through the peephole.

Tessa was standing outside. Somehow, she had found this hotel.

I didn’t open the door.

“Will, I know you’re in there. Open the door.”

I took my hand off the doorknob and stepped back.

“If you don’t open the door, I’ll just stand here.”

“Suit yourself.” After saying that, I turned around and went to wash up.

When I came out after washing my face, she was still there in the peephole.

She was leaning against the hallway wall, typing on her phone.

My phone buzzed.

It was a message from her new number.

“Will, let’s talk. I can explain Leo’s situation, and I’ll figure out the money too. Don’t keep hiding from me, okay?”

I put my phone down and started packing my things. Ten minutes later, I dragged my suitcase over and opened the door.

She straightened up at once. “Will—”

“Move.”

“Can you listen to me for a minute?”

“No.”

I dragged my suitcase toward the elevator.

She followed and grabbed the handle of my suitcase.

“Will! Let me finish!”

I stopped and looked at her. “Go ahead.” I let go of the handle and crossed my arms.

“Leo’s situation was my bad judgment.”

She took a deep breath.

“But Will, I really didn’t mean anything by it. He’s just a young guy who just graduated. He didn’t know anything and got scammed out of nine thousand dollars. Some of that money was tuition his parents scraped together for him. He was so desperate he almost did something stupid… so I couldn’t just ignore him. If it were you, you wouldn’t have stood by either.”

“Tessa, don’t use me as your excuse.”

I looked her in the eyes.

“If it were me, I’d call the police, help him get legal aid, and go with him to the bank to freeze the account. But I wouldn’t use the two of our savings to fill the hole, and I definitely wouldn’t transfer the money without talking to the other person first.”

She went quiet.

“And you brought Leo home, let him stay in my room, sleep in my bed—did you ever think about how I’d feel?”

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

“Tessa, you don’t need to explain anymore.”

I grabbed the suitcase handle again.

“Pay me back within two days. After that, we’re even.”