Chapter 5

"And suddenly Catherine turned around.

'James!'"

James looked up from the couch.

Catherine stood near the kitchen counter holding her phone awkwardly against her chest.

"You mind helping me with something?"

Her tone was light.

Casual.

James rubbed his tired eyes.

"With what?"

Catherine hesitated just enough to make herself look embarrassed.

"My hair appointment is tomorrow and my card declined." She laughed softly. "It's honestly not even that much, I'm just a little short right now."

James barely thought about it.

After everything she'd done around the house the past few days, refusing would've felt strange.

"How much?"

Her expression brightened instantly.

"I'll pay you back."

James reached for his wallet anyway.

Lisa sat nearby coloring silently at the dining table while hugging her teddy bear against one arm.

She watched everything quietly.

Catherine leaned down and kissed James lightly on the cheek after he handed over the money.

"Thank you."

The warmth in her smile made the house feel less empty again.

James didn't notice Lisa staring at him afterward.

The requests became normal after that.

Never huge.

Never enough to sound unreasonable alone.

A nail appointment.

New clothes because she "didn't have much left."

A phone bill she'd forgotten.

Money for transportation.

A replacement charger.

Medicine.

Every single time Catherine asked like she hated needing help.

That was what made it difficult to refuse.

"I swear this is the last thing."

"I feel so bad asking."

"You've already done enough for me."

And every time James considered pushing back, Catherine always had the perfect explanation ready.

Her ex ruined her financially.

Her family couldn't help.

She was trying to stabilize herself again.

She'd return everything eventually.

Sometimes she even cried before he could question her properly.

The dangerous part was that pieces of it sounded real.

And somehow, slowly, Catherine stopped feeling temporary.

She started leaving her things around the house.

Started cooking occasionally.

Started sitting beside him naturally at night while Lisa slept upstairs.

The house felt alive again.

That mattered more than James wanted to admit.

One evening Lisa laughed so loudly during dinner that James physically froze for a second.

He hadn't heard that sound in months.

Catherine smiled proudly afterward.

"See? She's happier now."

James looked down at his plate silently.

Maybe she was right.

A week later, Mark called.

James almost ignored it.

Almost.

"Finally," Mark said immediately after he answered. "You alive?"

"Barely."

"I'm serious, James."

The tone in Mark's voice straightened him slightly.

Reality returning.

"The Sterling Group situation is getting worse," Mark continued. "Have you even been checking reports?"

James' silence answered for him.

"Jesus Christ."

James rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"I've been handling things."

"No, you've been hiding."

The words landed harder than expected.

Mark kept talking.

Shareholders were nervous.

Employees were hearing rumors.

Several projects were delayed already.

James opened his laptop while still on the phone.

Unread emails flooded the screen.

Missed meetings.

Warnings.

Financial updates.

His stomach tightened slowly.

After the call ended, he sat there for almost an hour reviewing numbers.

And the deeper he looked—

The worse it became.

Money was moving too quickly.

Far too quickly.

The recovery timeline Mark mentioned only worked if spending stayed controlled.

James reached into the drawer beside him and pulled out the envelope Mark gave him.

He stared at it for several seconds before opening it.

Too light.

His chest tightened.

Way too light.

For the first time, a thought entered his mind that he didn't want there.

Upstairs, he heard Catherine laughing softly with Lisa.

James slowly looked toward the ceiling.

And for a moment—

Something felt wrong.

The next afternoon Lisa wandered into the kitchen quietly looking for juice.

She stopped near the entrance without announcing herself.

Catherine stood near the counter speaking on the phone.

Her voice sounded different.

Sharper somehow.

"I told you I'm handling it," Catherine whispered impatiently. "Just give me a little more time."

Silence.

Then—

"No, he's completely emotional right now. It's easy."

Lisa frowned slightly.

Catherine suddenly noticed her standing there.

The change was instant.

Her entire expression softened immediately.

"Lisa!" she said brightly. "You scared me."

Lisa blinked.

"You were whispering."

Catherine laughed softly.

"Adults whisper sometimes, sweetheart."

She walked over and crouched slightly.

"Wanna help me make sandwiches?"

Lisa stared at her quietly for another second.

Then nodded slowly.

But later that night, Lisa kept glancing toward Catherine when she thought nobody noticed.

James finally confronted her three days later.

Not angrily.

Just tired.

Catherine sat cross-legged on the couch scrolling through her phone while soft music played in the background.

James stood near the doorway for several seconds before speaking.

"Where's all the money going?"

Catherine looked up immediately.

The silence that followed felt careful.

"What?"

"The money," James repeated quietly. "There's always something else."

For a second, something unreadable crossed Catherine's face.

Then suddenly her eyes watered.

James immediately regretted speaking.

"I knew this would happen," she whispered.

"Catherine—"

"No, it's fine." She stood up quickly wiping at her eyes. "I told myself not to depend on anybody again."

James sighed heavily.

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" she asked softly. "You think I'm using you?"

The guilt hit him instantly.

Catherine laughed bitterly afterward, arms wrapping around herself.

"My ex used to say the same thing."

James glanced at his eyes briefly.

There it was again.

The shift.

Suddenly he wasn't questioning her anymore.

He was comforting her.

And the worst part?

This time he noticed it happening while it was happening.

Yet somehow—

He still stepped forward anyway.

"Catherine..."

She started crying quietly against his chest moments later.

And James hated himself for feeling relieved when she held onto him tightly.

That night Catherine fell asleep beside him.

James stayed awake staring at the ceiling for hours.

Because deep down—

A small part of him no longer trusted her.

But a much larger part was terrified of being alone again.

She was gone by morning.

No dramatic goodbye.

No screaming.

No note.

Just absence.

James walked downstairs slowly, already sensing something wrong before he fully understood why.

The house felt empty again.

Cold again.

He checked the kitchen.

Nothing.

Living room.

Nothing.

Then finally he noticed it.

Her shoes were gone.

The charger she'd asked him to buy.

Gone.

Her suitcase.

Gone.

James rushed toward the drawer beside the kitchen counter.

Opened it.

The envelope sat inside.

Half empty.

His stomach dropped.

He checked his wallet next.

Then his banking app.

Several transfers stared back at him silently.

James lowered himself slowly into one of the dining chairs.

The exact spot where Mark sat after he made breakfast, Catherine laughed with Lisa, warmth briefly returned to the house

Now empty again.

Except this time felt worse.

Because he saw the signs.

He noticed them.

And still ignored them anyway.

Upstairs, tiny footsteps echoed faintly.

James didn't move.

Lisa slowly walked downstairs dressed for school, backpack hanging loosely from one shoulder while her teddy bear rested beneath her arm.

She looked around the kitchen quietly.

Then at James.

And after a long silence—

"Did she leave too?"