“It’s Liu Han, I was skinnier back then.‘
I recognized some features, but not a lot.
He had changed so much.
“What brings you here today?”
“My stepsister took out a loan in my
“”
deadbeat dad’s name.”
<
“You want to know if you are responsible?”
“Yes!”
Liu Han took a sip. “It depends, you need to
show you haven’t used the money.
وو
“What evidence do I need?”
Heather was crafty.
Liu Han explained everything.
The easiest thing was to keep my Dad alive.
My phone started ringing. I excused myself
and picked up.
It was Ben. “I have two pieces of news!”
L
“Good news and bad news?”
“No, two bad pieces of news!”
I shivered, I shouldn’t have left the house on
such a gloomy day.
“What is it?”
I could handle any bad news.
“”
“Heather is taking out more loans.”
Okay.
“Your dad is in the ICU.”
Oh. I needed a moment.
<
“Hello? Hello? Did you hear me?”
I didn’t have the strength to reply.
“There’s still a chance he’ll live.‘
99
Okay, I was back.
“I understand.”
I went back to Liu Han and asked about the
complex methods.
I needed a backup plan.
17
It was late when I got home.
<
Il was late when i goɩ nome.
Ethan was waiting for me.
“You’re back?” He looked tired, and hurt.
I smiled sheepishly.
Ethan was so busy too.
Sometimes I fell asleep, and he would wake
- me.
Ethan gave me some flowers. “Do you
remember what today is?”
He was sure that I had forgotten.
He was right. I couldn’t remember.
99
I asked him what it was.
P
Ethan laughed, “It’s nothing! Just messing
with you.”
He tricked me! I had so much to do.
I told Ethan about Heather’s plan.
Ethan was perceptive “She has something
else planned.”
What could she be planning?
He smiled mysteriously. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll
handle everything for you.
“”
He wouldn’t tell me.
L
く
She looked like she couldn’t believe it.
“Thank you!” She said awkwardly.
“No problem. We only used each other. No
such thing as a lifelong enemy.
“”
I got some info from Tiffany about Chad and
Heather.
Before she got on the plane she said “You
and Ethan are great together. I messed up.
I wished her the best.
19
Ethan’s wedding plans were wrapping up.
وو
And the story was nearly over.
Three days before the wedding, I got the
news that Dad had died.
I was taking photos with Ethan, with wedding
dresses.
I didn’t feel anything, I just felt bad for my
Mom.
The wedding photo shoot stopped when a
debt collector called.
“You are Fred’s daughter, right? You need to
pay the $10 million your Dad owes.‘
“”
“I never used a cent of that. Go ask Heather.”
If they could find Heather, they wouldn’t be
<
muny up unu LIONI
I turned off my phone.
