Chapter 3

At the hotel, I tried to pay the deposit with my debit card, but the screen flashed "Insufficient funds."

I tried again. Same result. I opened my banking app and saw that years of savings had been transferred out in three payments. Every one had gone to Clara...

I called Mom right away. "Did you take money from my account?" I demanded.

She spoke as if she had every right to the money. "Your sister just got back, and she's so frail. That money will pay for her treatment and recovery."

I couldn't believe it. "You didn't even ask me before taking my money?"

She sounded impatient. "Why are you being so petty? We're family. What's wrong with helping your sister?"

She hung up before I could answer. My hands shook so badly that it took me three tries to call Arthur.

Large transfers required a PIN, and Arthur was the only other person who knew mine.

When he answered, I took a deep breath and asked coldly, "Did you give my mom my PIN so she could send all my money to Clara?"

Arthur was silent for a moment before he spoke gently. "Wendy, don't get upset.

"Clara just got back, and she has a lot of expenses. My company's short on cash right now, but I'll pay you back. Could you let her use the money for now?"

Before he'd even finished, Clara's voice cut in. "Arthur, my chest still feels tight. Could you rub it for me?"

Then the line went dead. I gripped my phone, my eyes stinging.

I paid for the room with the cash in my bag. Back upstairs, my phone lit up with one notification after another.

Clara had posted a series of photos on Instagram. In them, she wore my wedding dress and beamed at the camera.

The last photo showed two hands with their fingers intertwined. The caption read:

"Ten years of love. Thank you for still being here."

His face wasn't in the shot, but I'd have known that red mole on his wrist anywhere. It was Arthur.

When I was sick, he'd rubbed my stomach with that same hand and made me hot soup. He was even wearing the bracelet I'd given him, but now he was holding another woman's hand...

I stared at the photo, a lump in my throat. The pain made it hard to breathe.

So I'd been nothing but a joke in their ten-year love story!

My parents and Arthur quickly liked the post. I liked it too, saved the photos, and typed a comment with shaking hands.

"The custom wedding dress cost $30,000. Send the money to my account."

Then I opened my camera roll and scrolled through every photo of Arthur and me from the past few years. Seeing all those happy moments again made my chest ache.

I deleted them one by one. When I got to the last one, my finger froze. Tears fell onto the screen and pooled there.

I'd decided to leave him, but my love for him had been real. So had the years I'd given him. Letting go still hurt.

Just then, the doorbell rang. I wiped my tears and opened the door. Arthur stood there with a red-eyed Clara.

Arthur spoke first, his tone accusing. "Wendy, what was that comment about? Do you have any idea how guilty you've made Clara feel?"

Clara chimed in tearfully. "Wendy, I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted to try on a wedding dress and take a photo with Arthur to keep a promise we made years ago. I wasn't trying to ruin things for you two!

"If it bothers you that much, I'll leave right now. I won't make things hard for you..."

She wiped her tears and ran for the door. Before she'd taken two steps, her eyes rolled back. Arthur rushed over and caught her before she hit the floor.

With Clara limp in his arms, Arthur scowled at me and growled, "Wendy, you know how weak your sister is, and you still upset her. Are you happy now? If anything happens to her, it's on you!"

With that, he carried her downstairs and rushed to the hospital without looking back.