Chapter 3

Donald’s expression turned ugly.

“Two hundred thousand dollars? You must be dreaming!”

He strode over, snatched up the empty candle box, and hurled it to the ground.

“Do you think putting on this ridiculous spectacle will make me see you differently? You’re just trying to get my attention, aren’t you?”

I said nothing and watched him perform in silence.

“Let me make this clear. You can forget about me! Lisa is gentler than you, more understanding than you, and she’s…”

“Poorer than me,” I interrupted.

Donald choked. “What did you say?”

“I said Lisa is poorer than me.”

I pulled out my phone, opened my banking app, and shoved the balance in his face.

“Look. Two hundred thousand dollars. It’s not much, but it’s enough to buy your life.”

Donald stared at the screen, his eyes widening. “How is this possible? Where did you get that money?”

“What does it have to do with you?”

“Did you steal it?” Donald seized on the accusation. “Mom! Call the police! Her money clearly came from somewhere illegal!”

“Don, maybe we should let it go…”

Lisa grabbed his arm, her eyes brimming with tears. “If Suzy really gets arrested, she’ll lose everything. That would be so awful for her.”

I let out a cold laugh.

Donald immediately dialed the police.

“Hello, police? I’d like to report something. My ex-girlfriend is setting up some kind of candle ritual outside my home, and she’s carrying a huge amount of unexplained money… Yes, we’re downstairs at Parkview Apartments, Building Three.”

After hanging up, he looked at me smugly. “Suzy, just wait.”

“There’s nothing to explain. It’s all legitimate income.” I crouched down again, picked up the crushed candle box, folded it flat, and tucked it into my bag.

At that moment, Rachel appeared with a garden hose. She turned on the tap and sprayed the spot where I had been lighting the candles.

“Get rid of this bad luck! Wash it all away!”

The icy stream sprayed directly onto my calves, soaking them in an instant.

“Suzy, your clothes are wet. Do you want to go upstairs and change?” Lisa covered her mouth as she laughed.

“No need. A little water won’t put out my fire.” I stared coldly at them.

Ten minutes later, a police car arrived with its siren blaring.

“Who called the police?”

“Officer, it was me!” Donald shouted.

“That woman was lighting black candles outside my home in the middle of the night and threatening to burn me alive! She has two hundred thousand dollars of unexplained money. It has to be stolen!”

The officer looked at me, then at the scattered candles on the ground. “Is that true?”

“Officer, he’s making false accusations. I was lighting candles, but I did it in an open area, away from anything flammable.

“As for the two hundred thousand dollars, it came from legitimate investment returns. I have the transaction records to prove it.”

“That’s bullshit!”

Donald panicked. “She’s just a regular wage worker! Where would she get two hundred thousand dollars in investment returns?”

I handed my phone to the officer and pulled up my bank statements and investment records.

The officer examined them carefully for a while.

“This is legitimate income.”

He returned my phone and turned to Donald. “You understand that making a false police report can have legal consequences?”

Donald froze, his face flushing red.

Lisa quickly tried to smooth things over. “Officer, it may have been a misunderstanding. Don was just worried about everyone’s safety. Please don’t blame him.”

“All right. If it was a misunderstanding, settle it between yourselves. And be more careful with the candles in the future. Use them only in designated areas.”

After the officer gave us a brief warning, he got back into his car and drove away.

Donald finally lost his temper. “Suzy! What kind of trick did you pull?”

He rushed over and reached for my collar.

I kicked the hose beside me, sending a powerful stream of water straight into Donald’s face.

“Cough, cough… You!”

“Donald, I’m warning you. Don’t provoke me.”

I stared at him, my voice icy. “Otherwise, you’ll be the next thing I burn.”