Chapter 4

When I got home, I locked the necklace back in the safe.

Then I shut myself in the bathroom and cried until I couldn't anymore.

That night, Lily suddenly spiked a fever.

Her temperature shot up to 103°F. She was delirious, mumbling that she felt awful.

I panicked and rushed her to the hospital in a cab.

Registration. Blood draw. Lab work.

I ran up and down the halls alone, carrying my thirtypound daughter.

In that moment, I truly hated Ryan.

The doctor wrote up the orders and told me to go pay.

I pulled out the bank card where I kept our savings and handed it to the cashier.

It was Lily's education fund—our emergency money.

Five years of saving. Two hundred thousand dollars.

I never expected Ryan to save anything, so I'd always managed this account myself.

But Ryan knew the password too.

Beep—

The cashier handed the card back, looking apologetic.

"Insufficient funds."

I froze.

"That's impossible. There's two hundred thousand in there. How can there be insufficient funds?"

"Is the machine broken? Network issue?"

The cashier looked tired.

"The machine's fine. There's just no money. The balance is thirty dollars and fifty cents."

"Use a different card. There are people waiting."

Thirty dollars and fifty cents?

My head exploded.

Two hundred thousand dollars!

Money I'd scraped together, penny by penny, going without so we could save!

My hands shook as I pulled out my phone and opened the banking app.

Three days ago, a transfer of $199,990.

Recipient: Vanessa Harper.

I paid for Lily's treatment with my credit card.

After she was hooked up to the IV, I called Ryan like a woman possessed.

It rang for a long time before he answered.

His voice came through, sheepish.

"Hey babe, why are you still up? I'm at the office…"

"Ryan, where's the money?"

My voice was ice cold, teeth clenched.

"Lily's education fund. Two hundred thousand dollars. Where is it?"

Silence on the other end.

Then Ryan started stammering.

"Um… babe, let me explain."

"Vanessa's mom… she suddenly got really sick. Needed emergency surgery."

"You know how it is—no money, no treatment."

"I couldn't just let her die, right?"

"So I lent it to her. She said once she sells her parents' house, she'll pay it all back…"

"Lent?"

I was shaking with rage, tears streaming down my face.

"Ryan, that was Lily's money!"

"Lily is in the hospital right now with a high fever, and I can't even pay the medical bills!"

"You took our daughter's emergency fund to save your exgirlfriend's mother?"

"Are you even human?!"

"Did a dog eat your heart?!"

My shouting drew annoyed looks from the nurses, signaling me to keep it down.

I covered my mouth, choking back sobs, the pain making it hard to breathe.

Ryan was still making excuses.

"I didn't know Lily would get sick…"

"Besides, that was life or death. This is just a fever. Can't you tell the difference?"

"Can't you have a little compassion?"

Compassion?

I looked at my daughter on the hospital bed, hooked up to an IV, her face flushed with fever.

She was so small. So fragile.

And her father, for the sake of another woman, had abandoned her completely.

I wiped my tears and spoke into the phone, my voice calm.

"Ryan, you wanted to save someone?"

"Fine. That's just fine."

"Since you're so generous, you'd better be ready to pay the price."

"That two hundred thousand—I'm going to make you pay it back. With interest."

I hung up and blocked him on everything.

You want to play dirty? Don't be surprised when I play dirtier.