Chapter 2

Before I could speak, he added, “Let’s break up. You’re suffocating me, and I can’t stand it.”

I felt the sea breeze against my skin. Then, I saw the floating captions again.

[As expected, Luke can’t wait to pin the blame on Harper.]

[He doesn’t love her in the first place. He only likes her money.]

I did not cry, nor did I try to stop him from leaving.

I just nodded. “Alright.”

Then, I turned around and opened the payment page. I cancelled all bookings.

Behind me, I heard Ella’s shrieks. Luke was calling out my name, yet I did not look back.

I just wanted to go home and look into the amount of money I had spent on them for the past two years.

After I reached home, I sat on the couch and stared at my phone in a daze.

The floating captions kept appearing.

[Harper’s parents passed away when she was young. The trust fund that they left her was enough for her to live a good life, but she doesn’t know how to manage it. Everyone around her is after her money.]

[Ella and Luke had their eyes on her because of that. What a shame that she doesn’t know that.]

I opened my bank application and combed through all my past transactions.

My parents passed away when I was eighteen from a car accident, and they left me a trust fund.

Every month, I would receive a sum of money. I had just entered university then, and I was In the throes of grief. Ella was the one who stayed by my side throughout the funeral and helped me grieve.

I always appreciated how well she had treated me.

Hence, when she told me her lease was up, and her landlord was going to increase the rental price, I paid six months of her rent without any hesitation.

When she said she was in a huge amount of debt due to her credit card and was receiving a lot of calls from the bank at her office, I paid over 8,000 dollars for her.

When she said that she wanted to change jobs yet needed money for training, I transferred another 4,000 dollars to her.

I looked at the transaction history of my supplementary credit card, and I saw Ella had used it to buy bags, skincare products, jewelry, and meals from high-end restaurants.

In just six months, she had spent 46,000 dollars.

What about Luke?

We were official for more than a year. He claimed that he was starting a business in cultural media, and he was in need of start-up capital.

I believed him, and I had given him over 80,000 dollars across multiple occasions.

He said that he needed to rent an office, so I accompanied him to visit some potential offices.

When he was about to sign the lease, he said that it was over his card limit, so I paid a three-month deposit and rent.

Then, when he said he wanted to treat his clients to a good meal, I lent him my credit card.

When he claimed he needed to travel for business meetings, I was the one who booked his hotel and flight.

I thought that we were working hard together, and I thought our future would be secure once he succeeded.

However, when I truly thought about it, I did not know where his company was located. I did not know who his clients were or what his project was about.

I had no answers at all.

My phone suddenly rang. It was the butler from the alpine lodge.

“Ms. Swift, would you still like to maintain your booking for the six rooms you’ve reserved? If you’d like to cancel, you must inform us in advance.”

I paused. Then, I said, “Please save one room for me. I’d like to cancel the rest.”

“Alright, the refund will be processed in three business days.”

After I hung up, I opened the group chat we created specifically for this trip.

Everyone was chatting inside.

Ella’s best friend, Sandra Pearson, said in the group chat, [Some people always act generous, yet they drop the act at such a critical time.]

Luke’s friend, Greg Peter, claimed, [She isn’t even willing to fork up a mere 2,400 dollars. How dare she invite us out?]

Someone even mentioned me in the group chat. [Harper, you’ve really gone overboard this time. We’re all friends. Did you really have to do that?]

I looked at these messages and felt ridiculous.

I sent a text message in the group chat.

[From this moment onwards, I’m cutting my supplementary card and revoking all payment authorizations. Anyone who’s not paying for their own expenses, you have to plan your own trip.]

Then, I exited the group chat.

My phone exploded with text messages.