Chapter 3

Clark came back to our rented apartment at 10:00 pm.

He took off his coat and wrapped his arms around me from behind, as he always did. He rested his chin against my neck.

"Yvonne, I'm exhausted."

After a brief pause, he asked hesitantly, "By the way, can you sign the transfer agreement for Project Oasis tomorrow? The investors are pressing us.

"Once the money comes through, we can have a big wedding."

I fought back my disgust and didn't push him away.

Instead, I asked him calmly, "How did Darlene's tests go at the hospital yesterday? Was everything okay?"

Clark clearly froze for a moment there.

He had almost forgotten the lie he had told the day before.

After stumbling over his words for a couple of seconds, he said, "Oh, it's an old problem. The doctor said it's nothing serious. Mom just needs to rest for a while."

I was about to speak when my phone suddenly buzzed.

It was a call from the hospital.

"Ms. Scovell, your grandmother's condition has suddenly worsened. She's gone into acute heart failure and needs surgery right away. Please come sign the consent form and pay the remaining surgical fees."

My mind went blank. I grabbed my bag and rushed toward the front door.

"Grandma's in trouble. I need to get to the hospital!"

At the same time, Clark's phone rang.

He glanced at the screen, and his face fell.

He grabbed my arm, his expression grim. "Yvonne, there's suddenly an emergency with the investors. I have to go deal with it right now, or the whole project will fall through."

I stared at him in disbelief, my voice shaking. "Grandma's in critical condition. She might not make it through tonight. Can't you come with me?"

A trace of impatience showed in his eyes, but he quickly hid it.

Clark kissed my forehead. "Be good. Go to the hospital first, and I'll come as soon as I'm done."

With that, he threw on his coat, opened the door, and hurried out.

As I watched him rush away, my heart ached.

There was no investor. He was just going to see Anya.

I stumbled to the hospital in a panic.

Outside the intensive care unit, a doctor solemnly handed me a payment notice. "Ms. Scovell, the surgical fee can't be delayed any longer. Please pay it as soon as possible."

"Okay. I'll pay right away!" I replied.

My hands were shaking as I opened my banking app. I was about to transfer all the money that was left from my joint account with Clark.

It held the 300 thousand dollars I had saved over the past few years.

But when the account page loaded, I froze in shock.

The balance on the screen showed zero.

I stood there in a daze and mechanically opened the transaction history.

A week earlier, every cent in the account had been transferred out in a single transaction.

The recipient's account was listed under Bellmont Heights Development Company.

Clark had stolen all my money to pay the down payment on an apartment for his mistress. He didn't even leave a single penny behind!

The harsh white lights in the hallway made my face look even paler.

My hands were shaking as I called Clark.

It rang for a long time before he finally answered.

In the background, I could faintly hear a woman's soft, breathy sounds.

"Clark Zimmer, where the hell did you transfer the money from my account? Grandma is waiting for surgery. That's money she needs to stay alive!" I cried out in desperation.

Clark's voice came through the phone, harsh and impatient. "Yvonne, are you done yet? I told you I'm in a very important meeting. We'll talk about the money later!"

He hung up on me without saying another word.

I slid down the wall and sat on the floor, feeling too weak to stand. I bit down hard on the back of my hand to keep myself from sobbing.

At the moment, I wanted to slap myself for ever getting involved with that bastard, Clark.

I had failed Grandma.