All Chapters of I Cashed In His Lies: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

Julian scooped Vanessa up without a second's hesitation. "I'm taking you to the hospital."His buddies jumped in to cover for him."Don't take it the wrong way, Ms. Hannah. Julian's just being a good Samaritan."It wasn't the first time he'd played the good Samaritan.When Vanessa said a pipe had burst at her place, he drove over at three in the morning.I blocked the door, crying, and he pried my fingers off one by one and called me cold, called me heartless.When Vanessa said her depression was back, he sat with her on the beach until sunrise while I called him seventeen times.When he got back, all he said was, "Can you just be reasonable for once?"One time I refused to let him go. That night, Vanessa slipped in her bathroom and knocked herself unconscious. As he ran out the door, he turned back and snapped at me."If anything happens to her, I'll never forgive you."On all those hysterical nights, I cried until my voice was gone, and he never once looked back for me.No

The day I was discharged, I dragged my still-healing body home. A rotten stench hung in the stairwell.A black garbage bag sat outside my door, fluid seeping out across the floor.My chest tightened for no reason. I crouched down and pulled open the bag.Inside was a matted ball of gray-and-white fur.It was the stray cat I'd been feeding for half a year.His name was Marshmallow. Every time I got home from work, he'd rub against my legs.I always kept his favorite treats on me.He'd listen quietly while I talked about Julian, and when he wasn't happy, he'd let out a few little meows.Now his body was stiff, his eyes half-open, a ligature mark around his neck.Julian opened the door and stopped short when he saw me."You're back? That animal just lunged at Vanessa out of nowhere."She's pregnant. She can't handle a scare like that, so I took care of it. Take it downstairs and toss it while you're at it. Don't leave it by the door drawing bugs."I stared at the tiny paw poki

Julian's vision went black. He had to brace himself against the wall to keep from collapsing.Hovering in midair, I watched coldly as he swayed on his feet. He hadn't been this fragile when he handed my mom's donor heart to someone else."Why?" he asked Vanessa hoarsely. "Why did you lie to me?"Vanessa laughed until she cried. She wiped her eyes, her gaze venomous and gleeful all at once."Why? Julian, have you forgotten how, when we divorced, you listened to your mother, blamed me for not being able to give you children, and forced me to sign the papers and get out? I swore back then I'd make you feel what it's like to be jerked around."I let out a cold laugh.Served him right.He'd brought every bit of this on himself.When I first met him, his divorce had just gone through.He was drowning himself in alcohol every day. His company was buried in bad debt, his partners had all bailed, and the whole industry treated him like a joke.I was the one who stayed up all night wit

Meanwhile, at the wedding.Julian stood alone at the entrance in his tuxedo.He was waiting.Waiting for someone who would never come.The priest finished the vows and asked the groom if he did. Julian stared at the tightly shut doors and suddenly smiled."I don't."The room erupted. He pulled off his boutonniere, threw it to the floor, and announced that the wedding was off.Vanessa's face went livid. She rushed over and grabbed him. "Are you insane? With all these people watching...""Get lost."That night, when he swiped his card to pay a hotel deposit, the screen flashed: insufficient funds.He froze, then checked every account he had, only to find nearly all his assets had been wiped out.The "friends" who used to orbit around him started keeping their distance. No one would come out for drinks with him anymore.Vanessa was even quicker. She put out a statement right away saying the two of them had been over for a long time and that today had just been a misunderstandi