Chapter 2
288 iVouchers
The truth is, I lied to Austin.
I liked him from the very first moment I saw him. But all these years, his heart belonged to Ruth.
A couple of days later, Austin organized a welcome–back party for Ruth himself and sent me an invitation, too.
Word was, Ruth had heard about me and insisted on meeting me.
She said, “The girl from that cornfield seven years ago? You really brought her back, Austin.
“She was so dark, so skinny and small, not even remotely pretty. I thought you were just joking. Now I’m actually cu- rious what she looks like these days.”
I already had something going on and tried to back out immediately, but Austin bombarded me with messages.
The last one read, “Evan’s here too. You haven’t forgotten what you promised me, right?”
Staring at my phone, I felt like something heavy was lodged in my chest, suffocating and painful.
But with the way he put it, I couldn’t refuse. Otherwise, I’d look completely ungrateful.
When I arrived, they were all playing cards. Someone spotted me, their expression shifting, and unlike before, nobody greeted me.
In the past, out of respect for Austin, they’d all treated me kindly, calling me Ms. Fallow. But now, anyone could see that Austin wasn’t going to marry me.
I walked over and glanced at the table. Ruth was the only one winning.
Austin was good at these games–I could tell he was deliberately letting Ruth win.
After a long while, Ruth finally noticed me.
She looked at me in surprise, covering her mouth in mock amazement.
“Wow, you’ve changed so much! I remember you used to be…”
She trailed off, clicking her tongue, then waved me over and stood up, giving me her seat.
“Here, you play. I’m tired.”
She picked up her phone and tapped away. I was close enough to see the name on her screen–Evan.
But nearly every message was from her; he hadn’t replied even once.
I sat down. Austin’s expression grew colder, and he started to look annoyed as he picked up his cards.
0.0 %
06:03
Chapter 2
They were playing for high stakes, and no one cut me any slack. In no time, I lost tens of thousands.
Ruth stood nearby, making a show of it.
288 Vouchers
“What’s wrong with you guys? Letting her lose that much? Where is she going to get the money? Can she even pay up?”
Someone pushed their cards forward–it was Austin’s best friend, Gavin Latham.
He looked up, unconcerned.
“So what? Austin’s got her covered.”
He wasn’t wrong. That’s how it had always been.
Ruth raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really?”
Austin nodded, pulling out his phone to transfer the money, but I spoke up first.
“No need. I’ll handle it myself.”
76.2 %
