Chapter 11
Christopher and I said goodbye in that clingy, reluctant way couples do.
However, as I stepped into the corridor, the warmth disappeared in an instant. Erik was walking toward me quickly. He looked cold to the bone, like he had been standing out there forever. Snowflakes clung to his black hair, melting into tiny beads of water.
He knew where I lived–Mom would sometimes video call me from the living room without muting or hiding anything. But I never thought he would just show up like this.
We locked eyes and spoke at the same time.
“Happy New Year’s Eve.”
“Why are you here?”
He said, “I came to see you.”
I glanced away. “I’m fine.”
His jaw was tight, and I could see the movement of his throat as he swallowed, like it physically hurt. “I’m sorry.”
How ridiculous. Sorry for what?
I stayed quiet.
He kept looking at me, searching for something in my face.
“I’ve never touched Margo,” he said. “I just wanted to see how you’d react.”
Chapter 11
“You’re not like her. She only tries to act like
only tries to act like you sometimes.”
So it was about that.
“Okay,” I said, brushing it off. “Got it. Just don’t bring it up again.”
He lowered his gaze, unsure if it was anger or sorrow weighing on him. Leaning against the wall, his hand brushed absentmindedly over the layer
of dust.
“He lets you live in a place like this?”
“I’ve lived here since before I met Christopher. I chose it, and I like it here.”
He gave a bitter little smile. “Before you left, Margo and I had a fight.”
“She went through my phone during one of my online classes and saw the transfers I made to you.”
“I hadn’t kept track, but she did. She added up every cent from the past few years. It’s a lot.”
“She cried and said I’d never loved her.”
“That love follows money.”
His voice cracked a little at the end.
I blinked. “So, are you here to ask for it back?”
I plan to repay everything he gave me, including the 800,000 from before I left the country; otherwise, I would not have taken it. I wanted to study abroad since middle school, but my mom hoped I would wait until after grad school. The money was prepared a long time ago.
Erik’s voice was low and strained. “Why would you think that?”
Chapter 11
“What I gave you was yours.”
I was starting to feel restless. I glanced down and started counting the bricks beneath my feet to calm myself.
“So what’s the point of all this, then?” I asked.
He did not speak right away. His lashes trembled, and his fingers curled into his palms.
“Love follows money.”
“You said that, too.”
“Hallie, I like you. Haven’t you realized that all these years?”
His voice caught.
Chapter 17
Chapter 12
Thinking someone likes you is one of the biggest lies you can tell yourself.
When I met Erik, he was no longer the kind of kid who bullied people he liked. I noticed that back in high school. But his mood changed so much that I could not believe there was any love in it.
I shook my head. “Then I’m just greedier.”
“I want a lot of money and a lot of love.”
“You treated me so badly, I thought the money you gave me was for emotional damages.”
He closed his eyes. “I just couldn’t say it.”
“I always felt like I should hate you and tell you to go away. I didn’t dare say I liked you, and I didn’t dare let you stay around either.”
It was getting late. I started getting sleepy, so I yawned. Since he was standing there, I did not press the elevator button.
“All right.”
“Go on, I’m going upstairs.”
Erik’s eyes were a little red. “I flew a long way to see you.”
“You won’t even let me sit for a bit?”
I remembered that message Margo sent me before. I pulled out my phone and read it out loud with dramatic feeling.
Chapter 12
“I have a boyfriend. We are not related by blood; there should be boundaries between siblings like that…”
That was how I finally got Erik to leave, looking all upset.
Eventually, Christopher found out what happened between me and Erik.
After dating for a year, I picked a day when Erik was not home to introduce Christopher to my mom. However, Janine posted a grocery shopping picture on her Instagram. Erik saw it and drove two hours back from school.
At the table, I sat next to Christopher and acted a little spoiled without even thinking. “Baby, I want some juice.”
He naturally grabbed my cup and poured it for me. Erik stood up, too, but sat back down empty–handed. Christopher glanced at him and gave at polite smile.
Erik’s face turned cold. He thought this could just be laughed off, but then he put down his fork.
“Is this some kind of fetish?”
Christopher paused for a second. Since my parents were there, he lowered his eyes and replied gently, “Sorry, I crossed the line.”
I could not even enjoy the meal properly. I turned and snapped at Erik. “What’s your problem? What does it have to do with you?”
He never treated me like his sister anyway, so what can’t I act spoiled with my boyfriend?
It was the first time I yelled at someone like that. My stepdad and mom were both stunned. Erik froze, too.
He looked embarrassed but did not say anything. He just buried his head and kept eating. He drank more and more of the soup in front of him until
