“You already told Ryan we’d help?” I asked quietly.
I didn’t yell. I didn’t react. I became still—emotionless.
Ethan mistook it for submission.
“Yes,” he said. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“Why not?”
He hesitated, then admitted, “Ryan borrowed from dangerous people. Loan sharks. They threatened to hurt him.”
“And what did you do?”
“I took care of it,” he said proudly. “I signed a bridge loan using this house as collateral. We just need to pay them back today—with your inheritance.”
I processed his words carefully.
He hadn’t just asked for the money.
He had already gambled everything—our home, our future—assuming he could take what wasn’t his.
“You used the house?” I asked.
He nodded. “We need the money by 5 PM.”
Linda smirked. “Be a good wife and give him the access.”
I looked at him.
He had betrayed me long before today.
I set the folder on the table.
“You’re right,” I said calmly. “And I have a surprise for you.”
