Chapter 3

I searched through my handbag for a while, but the check was nowhere to be found. It hit me then that Julie had touched my handbag earlier just as I was leaving. I immediately tried to call her, only to find that her phone was turned off.

I quickly rushed downstairs, hailed a cab, and went straight to her place. I noticed that she wasn't home yet, so I waited outside. It wasn't long before Julie showed up, looking completely drenched from the rain.

Upon seeing me, Julie immediately sneered. "I figured once you got in Mr. Greene's Rolls-Royce, you'd be swept up by the luxury and wouldn't be seen again. You ought to know that being a rich man's wife isn't easy, Queenie. Those people will use you up until there's nothing left.

"I never noticed before how little integrity you had, selling yourself for money. It's a good thing that you have me here by your side. I'll show you the right way to live and what it means to be a person of real honor."

I wasn't in the mood to listen to her ramblings. I went right up to her and asked, "Is the check with you?"

Julie's expression faltered slightly before returning to calm. "What check? Why would I have a check that wasn't even meant for me?"

I knew her far too well to be fooled, able to tell right away that she was lying. I took out my phone and pretended to call the police, saying, "In that case, since the check is missing, someone must have stolen it. I'll just have to call the police, then."

I barely finished my sentence when Julie suddenly snatched my phone away in a panic. "What's the big deal? Why are you calling the police over something so trivial?

"That check was never supposed to be yours, anyway! Do you even know what kind of trouble you're getting yourself into? You're just setting yourself up for disaster!"

I merely snorted in response, knowing that my family would be done for without that check. I held out my hand and demanded, "You'd better hand over the check, Julie. Otherwise, I'm calling the police."

Julie, though exposed, didn't even show the slightest hint of shame. Instead, she bristled with indignation, asking, "You don't seriously think I took that check for myself, do you?"

I cocked my brow and asked, "Why did you take it, then?"

Julie looked at me, pretending to be disappointed. "I was only trying to keep you from going astray, Queenie! I mean, we might be poor, but we're not without honor.

"Dignity and integrity are more important than anything in this life. What's the difference between selling yourself for money and being nothing more than a shell of a person? We—"

I cut her off mid-sentence and thrust my hand into her coat pocket.

Julie frantically held onto the check, refusing to let go. "You've completely lost your mind over money, Queenie! You'll stay lost in your delusions forever if I don't step in!"

She then moved in a flash, ripping the check to shreds. "You'll finally be able to think straight now that the check is gone! You can't just lose all sense of right and wrong for money, Queenie!"

I saw a flicker of satisfaction crossing her eyes after she tore the check. Julie thought that she had won and left me with nothing, but she couldn't have been more wrong.

It was from that day onward that Julie kept calling and texting me, using every excuse imaginable to pressure me into getting an abortion.

In the meantime, she was also busy doing something else—building up her "holier-than-thou" persona on Instagram, all while making sure I couldn't see it by blocking me.

It was Connor who told me about this. There Julie was, telling me to keep my distance from him, all while secretly following him on Instagram behind my back as my "best friend".

Julie's Instagram posts were mostly pictures of her hard at work at her desk, with captions full of positive platitudes. "Never lose your dignity, even when you're poor and exhausted. Build your own future, and do not give in to temptations! You can do it! You can be the main character of your own story!"

Connor then forwarded me surveillance footage from his company. It showed Julie waiting for a long time outside his company until he finally came out. She then walked up to him, only to twist her ankle in her high heel, tumbling straight into his arms.

She immediately pulled away with her head held high, saying, "You'd better not think you can use money to get to me just because I'm Queenie's friend. You ought to know that even if we're poor, we still have our pride—we won't sell our dignity for money!"

Connor stared at Julie with an expression reserved for a fool before snapping, "Security!"

I couldn't help but burst out laughing after seeing that.