Chapter 4

My fingers felt ice-cold.

That zero on the screen was like a deep hole that could swallow me up whole.

Two hundred thousand dollars was gone. That was five years of my life and the savings my parents had worked half their lives to build.

Michael looked at me, but he wouldn't hold eye contact. "Rachel, let me explain."

"Where is the money?" I asked, and my voice came out so hoarse that I barely recognized it as my own.

Linda was still sitting on the floor, but when she saw what was happening, she perked right back up. "What money?

"That's the Jones family's money. If Michael wants to give it to his sister, that's his business. You don't get a say in that."

I didn't look at her. My eyes were locked on Michael. "I'm asking you. Where is the money?"

Michael looked so uncomfortable under my stare that he stumbled back. "I already sent it to Irene," he mumbled.

"When did you transfer it?"

"Yesterday morning."

Yesterday morning was the day before our wedding.

While he was making all those promises to me, he was sending my money to someone else without a second thought.

I felt like someone had reached into my chest and crushed my heart.

"Michael, you stole from me," I said. My words were faint, yet they plunged the whole room into an icy chill.

"What do you mean by 'stole'? Why do you have to talk like that?" Linda shrieked. "You two were about to get married. There's no yours and mine. It's all the Jones family's money anyway."

"The Jones family?" I turned to her with a cold smile on my face. Mrs. Jones, maybe you were still confused about something.

"First, Michael and I didn't get married. Legally, I'm not connected to your family at all.

Second, half of the two hundred thousand dollars was mine before the wedding, and the other half was a gift from my parents.

"It has nothing to do with your son or your family, not a single dollar.

"He took the money without asking me, and that's stealing."

"You..." Linda was so angry that she couldn't finish her sentence.

Michael finally lost his cool. "Rachel, do you really have to be so unforgiving? Are all the years we've spent together really worth less than several hundred thousand dollars?"

He was trying to play the feelings card again, but it was too late for that. My heart had already gone cold.

"All the years we've spent together?" I scoffed. "Michael, from the moment you started plotting to take my money, all that's left between us is a bunch of numbers that need to be settled."

I grabbed my phone and started tapping on the screen. "I'm giving you two choices," I said. "First, have your sister send every single dollar back to me right now, not a penny short. Second, we can take this to the police."

Michael's face went pale instantly. "You're really going to call the cops?"

"This is fraud, and with that much money involved, you could be looking at years in prison," I said coldly.

"Don't you dare." Linda shot up from the floor and looked like she was about to lunge at me.

My parents immediately stepped in front of me to block her.

"What do you think you're doing?" my father barked.

"Rachel, you can't do this. You're going to ruin me," Michael said, his voice shaking.

"Ruin you?" I shot back. "You ruined our wedding first, and you destroyed whatever trust I had left in you. Michael, I don't have time to drag this out."

I dialed 911. "I'm going to count to three. One..."

Cold sweat beaded up across Michael's forehead.

Linda and the other relatives began to panic too.

They came here to make a scene and demand money, but they never thought it would actually involve the police.

"Two." My finger hovered over the call button.

Michael's lips were quivering as he stared at me, his eyes full of fear and hesitation. "Rachel, don't do this."

"Three." I pressed the button. Soon, the call went through.

"Hello, officer? I need to report a crime," I said, my voice clear and steady.

The living room went dead silent.

Michael and Linda looked like they couldn't believe what was happening.

"You're serious?" Michael said, and then suddenly lunged at me to grab my phone.

My father shoved him away and snapped, "Don't you dare touch my daughter."

I ignored the chaos and kept talking to the operator. "I've been defrauded of two hundred thousand dollars, and the suspect is in my home right now."

Then I gave the police my address. "Yes, please send officers as soon as possible."

After I hung up, I looked at Michael, whose face had turned completely pale. "Now let's talk seriously," I said.

Linda collapsed onto the floor and started sobbing loudly. "My son's own fiancée is sending him to jail. How outrageous could that be?" she wailed. "What did I do to deserve this?"

The other relatives exchanged nervous glances. They wanted to sneak out, but none of them dared to move.

Michael glared at me with bloodshot eyes. "Rachel, you're ruthless," he spat.

"You forced my hand," I shot back.