Chapter 4

I shoved Erik away and bolted out the front door with Nick as fast as I could.

My mother's curse-laden tirade predictably erupted behind us, loud enough to shake the entire apartment. "You immoral, thoughtless, stubborn, holier-than-thou waste of my life!

"Don't ever fucking come back when your in-laws chew you up and spit you out! Don't come crawling back when they leave your graceless ass on the street after trampling all over you!

"You think a man is someone you can trust?! You think he's gonna stick with you forever?! Keep dreaming!

"Once he sees how ungrateful you've been to your own family, he's gonna realize you're nothing but a parasite and dump your ass right then and there!"

Erik joined in on the verbal abuse. "Holier-than-thou is right, Vicky! You think you mean shit when you're all alone, bitch? You ain't worth a damn, but I don't think you're ready for that truth!"

He snickered. "You won't even have a place to come back to after your in-laws wipe their boots on your back like you're a doormat, because this family sure as hell doesn't recognize you anymore!

"And don't think I'm gonna give a flying fuck if anything happens to you. I wouldn't even get up off the couch to save your ass!"

Their words cut into my chest like a knife.

They were so sure their insults would feed my fears and anxieties about my place in the world until I finally broke down and came running back to them in tears.

They were wrong.

I stomped down the stairs, each step reinforcing my resolve. Whenever I looked at Nick, guilt twisted inside me. I had hidden the truth from him for far too long.

I lowered my head and stammered, "I... I'm so sorry about all of this, Nick. I lied to you. My family isn't as nice as I've pretended they are.

"For eight years, they've forced me to pay off my brother's housing debt. That's where all my wages have gone. My family sucked me dry.

"I never dared tell you because I was afraid you'd look down on me. I was scared you'd think I was some pathetic doormat who willingly let her brother take advantage of her. I couldn't bear that kind of judgment from you... of all people..."

I took a deep breath and met his gaze through watery eyes. "Now you know the truth. This is the family I grew up in: a den of bloodsucking parasites. And now even a family like that has disowned me."

My voice faltered. "Mom's right, isn't she? A woman who doesn't even matter to her own family won't matter to her in-laws either. You'll be looked down on just for being associated with me.

"S-So if you think we should cancel the wedding, especially since I lied to you about my background, I'll understand. I'll pay back every cent you've spent on the dowry and the wedding, little by little. I promise. We can even draw up a promissory note!"

I looked away, my shoulders sagging as if I'd used up the last of my strength.

I waited for his judgment. Only silence answered me.

The air seemed to stiffen. I thought he was about to turn on his heel and leave without another word.

Then he suddenly sighed and ruffled my hair.

"You silly, silly woman," he said with a chuckle.

He opened the rear door of a nearby car and greeted the people inside. "Hi, Mom. Dad. Guess you saw all of that too, huh?"

I snapped my head up and stared into the car.

An older couple smiled back at me with an almost aristocratic elegance.

A realization struck me. These people looked nothing like the parents Nick had described. He had told me they were "retired factory workers who opened a mom-and-pop shop"!

Nick's mother, Elena Kitt, regarded me with tender concern. She stepped out of the car and clasped my cold hands in her warm ones. Then she reached into her elegant handbag, took something out, and gently placed it in my palm.

It was a property deed, and I was listed as the sole owner.