Chapter 2

It was the weekend, and finally, some time to relax.

Just as I walked out of the hospital after my check-up, my phone buzzed; it was my mom calling.

Mom's voice came through the phone. "Sweetie, you're thirty already. No boyfriend, no wedding plans... don't tell me you're into girls or something?"

I couldn't help but laugh at that.

I really wanted to tell her, "Mom, I'm sick."

But then I remembered she was getting older and might not be able to handle the news, so I kept it to myself.

"Mom, just tell me the time and place. I'll do as you say and go meet whoever you've picked," I replied.

Mom was so happy she could barely contain herself. "Alright, I'll send you the details right away. The person I found for you this time—you're definitely going to like him!"

Mom was so confident.

Did the guy look exactly like Warwick?

Turned out, when I met the guy, it wasn't about his looks at all—he just worked in the same field as Warwick.

Warwick was a tech whiz who created a homegrown mythological game just for us.

And the guy sitting across from me, with his thinning hair and plaid shirt, worked in game development too, as a programmer.

"Once we're married, we'll have three kids. Back in my hometown, if you have less than that, people will gossip," he said.

"After we get married, you'll stay home and look after my mom and the kids. I'll give you a thousand dollars a month for expenses," he added.

He stared at my heavy makeup and frowned. "After we're married, stop wearing makeup. I don't want to kiss you and get a mouthful of foundation."

I didn't really want to pile on the heavy makeup either.

But with early-stage liver cancer, my body just couldn't flush out the toxins anymore.

My skin looked yellow and dull. Without makeup to hide it, my clients would probably freak out if they saw me like that.

The guy couldn't stop running his mouth with rude comments, so I wasn't about to give him any respect.

I shot back, "If you're so capable, why not just marry a nanny?"

I continued, "1 thousand dollars a month? Seriously? A real computer genius used to pull all-nighters more than ten times a month, grinding away just to earn enough to marry me. Even if he offered me ten million a month, I wouldn't have bothered with him.

"I dumped a top-tier guy like that, and you, a basic dude with an inflated ego, think you can have it all?"

With that, I walked out like I'd never even been there.

I grabbed a cab, and while I was waiting for it to show up, my phone buzzed. It was the debt collector calling.

I practically begged, "Can you please give me just one more month? I swear, I'll pay back everything I owe, interest included, all at once!"

The debt collector barked, "One month. If you don't pay up, I'll go to your hometown and paint your house. Don't test me!"

After I hung up, all I could do was hope I could hang in there until Warwick's wedding day.

As long as I made it through the wedding, I'd pocket a 200 thousand dollars commission. With that, I could finally clear all the medical bills I owed.

And maybe, I'd have enough left over to do something nice for Mom.

Just then, a voice that felt both familiar and strange called out from behind me. "Didn't you marry into a rich family? How come you're still broke?

"Monica, honestly, is anything you say even true?"

I turned around. Great, I was totally screwed.

Just my luck; it had to be Warwick.

"Suit yourself," I replied, keeping my tone icy.

I gave him a deadpan glance, and just as my cab arrived, I climbed in, only for him to pull me right back out.

He handed the driver a stack of bills, and whatever the guy was about to say, the cash shut him right up.

My phone chimed; the ride was canceled. Watching the cab disappear, I couldn't help but frown.

Warwick was really blowing cash like crazy. Even a hundred would've been enough, but he just tossed over a grand to the driver without even blinking.

Did he think money just fell from the sky?

The more I thought about it, the more pissed I got. I shook off his hand. "Warwick, we're over. Don't grab me in front of everyone; it's not cool!"

He pressed his lips together, his eyes locked on mine with that deep, unreadable look. Then, in a low voice, he said, "Just one night with me. No matter how much you owe, I'll take care of it all."

I slapped him hard across the face.

"Warwick, you're really thirsty, aren't you?" I shot back.

"Lucky for me, I was smart enough to see through you. Knew you'd turn into a total asshole once you got money. That's why I ditched you way back."

After slapping him and telling him off, I just turned on my heel and started hoofing it home.

I'd barely made it halfway home when my phone buzzed. Turned out, the cops were calling me.