Chapter 4

FINAL NOTICE: Your outstanding loan balance of $48,700 must be paid immediately to avoid further legal action.

That was the first thing I saw on my phone when I opened my eyes.

For several seconds, I stared at the screen, convinced I was still half asleep. I blinked and read it again, but the numbers remained the same.

Forty-eight thousand seven hundred dollars.

“What the hell?” I whispered.

I sat up, pushing the blanket off my legs as I opened the message and checked the details. The account number was mine. My name was there, along with my personal information and the loan reference number.

But the amount made no sense.

I had borrowed $18,700 when Maya was admitted to the hospital. She had needed treatment, and I hadn’t had enough money to cover the expenses. I had gone through my savings, asked for help where I could, and eventually taken out the loan because I couldn’t bear the thought of my sister going without the care she needed.

It hadn’t been easy paying it back, but I had managed to clear $10,000 over time. I still had a balance to deal with, and I knew that. What I didn’t understand was how a debt that should have been less than nine thousand dollars had suddenly become $48,700.

Even with interest and penalties, that figure was ridiculous.

I scrolled through the notification, looking for an explanation. There was a link to the lender’s account portal, so I opened it and logged in with trembling fingers.

The outstanding balance was displayed in bold red letters.

$48,700.00.

I checked the transaction history, hoping I had somehow misunderstood the message. Instead, I found another loan application attached to my account, one I had no memory of submitting.

My breathing grew shallow as I opened the details.

The date.

I stared at it, my stomach tightening.

I remembered that day.

It had been a particularly busy afternoon at Loreto Industries. Lucien had been preparing for an important meeting, and I had been trying to organise several documents while responding to calls. Ethan had contacted me about a work-related issue and asked me to send him some information from my phone. I’d been distracted and running behind schedule, so when he asked to use it briefly, I had handed it over without a second thought.

He was my boyfriend. I had never imagined I needed to be suspicious of him.

The application had been submitted during that period.

I scrolled further, checking the contact details and the confirmation records. My heart began pounding so hard that I could feel it in my throat.

There was no way.

No. Ethan wouldn’t do that to me.

He had promised to pay back the money he’d borrowed from me. He had held my hand, looked me in the eyes, and told me he wanted to build a future with me. Just last night, he had spoken about taking care of Maya and me.

But the date on the application wouldn’t leave my mind.

I called him.

The phone rang until the call ended.

I tried again.

No answer.

“Pick up, Ethan,” I muttered, pacing beside the bed. “Please, just pick up.”

I called a third time, but he still didn’t answer.

My hands were shaking now. I grabbed my laptop and searched through the account details again, taking screenshots of everything I could find. The application contained my information, but that didn’t mean I could prove who had submitted it. I needed to speak to Ethan. I needed to hear him explain how a loan I had never taken out had appeared under my name.

Maybe there was a mistake. Maybe someone had accessed my information without his knowledge.

I clung to those possibilities because the alternative was too painful to accept.

I got out of bed and rushed to the bathroom, washing my face and brushing my teeth as quickly as I could. I threw on a pair of jeans and a blouse, then grabbed my handbag and phone. I hadn’t even finished tying my shoes when I heard Maya calling from the kitchen.

“Morning, sis!”

I stepped out of the bedroom, forcing myself to look normal.

“Hey. Morning.”

Maya stood beside the kitchen counter, dressed for the day. A plate of food sat on the table, and the smell of breakfast filled the small apartment. She smiled at me, but the moment she took a closer look at my face, her expression changed.

“Why are you sweating? It’s morning, and you haven’t even gone outside yet.”

I quickly wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. I hadn’t realised how anxious I looked.

“I’m fine.”

“Nadia. Your hands are shaking.” She glanced at the plate. “Besides, I made breakfast. You should eat first.”

“No, I really need to do something at the office before my boss arrives,” I lied, reaching for my handbag.

Maya frowned. “But you said yesterday that you finished late because he gave you more work. Can’t it wait until you get there?”

“No.” I forced a small smile. “You know how Mr. Loreto is. If I don’t get there early, he’ll find something to complain about.”

That wasn’t entirely a lie. Lucien could find a reason to complain about almost anything, but he wasn’t the reason I was in a hurry.

Maya studied me for another moment. “At least take something with you.”

“I’ll eat later, I promise.”

“Nadia—”

“I’ll be fine, sweetheart.” I kissed her forehead before she could argue further. “Don’t worry about anything. Just focus on your day.”

The irony nearly made me laugh.

I was telling her not to worry while my own life was falling apart before breakfast.

I hurried out of the apartment, but instead of heading toward Loreto Industries, I called a cab and gave the driver Ethan’s address.

If he wouldn’t answer his phone, I would make him answer me in person.

By the time I arrived, my stomach was in knots. I paid the driver and hurried toward the building, climbing the steps two at a time until I reached Ethan’s apartment.

I knocked.

Nothing.

I knocked again, harder this time.

“Ethan! It’s me. Open the door!”

Silence.

I tried calling him once more. I could hear the ringing through the door, but no one answered. I was about to turn away when I noticed that the door wasn’t properly closed.

A small gap remained between it and the frame.

I pushed it open.

“Ethan?”

There was no answer, but I heard a faint sound coming from the bedroom. I stepped inside, my heart pounding as I walked down the hallway.

Then I heard a woman’s voice.

“Baby, when are you getting me that bag you promised?”

I stopped.

Ethan answered, his voice casual and amused. “Didn’t I just buy you a bag last week?”

“That was last week. I want the new one.”

“You’re impossible.”

“And you love me anyway.”

A woman’s laughter followed.

I stood frozen in the hallway, unable to make my feet move. I knew that voice. I had heard it before, though I couldn’t immediately remember where.

Then Ethan spoke again.

“Of course I do, sweetheart.”

Something inside me went cold.

Sweetheart?