Ryan had me co-sign for a couple hundred thousand dollars in high-interest loans. Furious, I snapped a picture of his back and posted it to an exclusive online group chat: “Tall, ripped, amazing in bed. Due to unforeseen financial troubles, I’m heartbroken to let him go. Sugar mommy wanted! Must provide a good home.” I was just kidding around, but the group chat instantly exploded. A ‘Ms. Victoria’ immediately jumped in: “I want him. Tonight for the… ‘test drive’!” I thought she was playing along, so I laughed it off and agreed. Five minutes later, a hundred grand deposit landed in my account. I practically shot off the bed. This jerk is actually this hot a commodity? I was ecstatic. I immediately turned into a total brown-noser, kissing up to the sugar mommy in the chat: “You’re amazing, Ms. Victoria! Don’t worry, he’ll serve you well and meet all your demands!” The chat was flooded with lamenting messages: “Ugh, too slow! Next time something this good comes up, you HAVE to tell me first!” “Seriously, if the quality’s there, everything else is negotiable!” “As if you guys could afford him! The full price is three hundred grand! Sugar mommy, want to check me out instead?” I sighed, looking at the flood of messages. Ryan and I were practically engaged. If it weren’t for that trashy guy, using me as collateral for all those loans, I wouldn’t be pulling this stunt. Instead of living the rest of my life looking over my shoulder, buried under mountains of debt with him, he might as well go live it up with a sugar mommy. I’d be free and clear. Even if Ryan was a terrible person, his ‘equipment’ was pretty top-notch. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have fallen for his pretty face back then. I was happily planning if I should hit up the Maldives or splurge on a designer bag once I got the rest of the payment when Ms. Victoria suddenly sent me a private message with an address: “Tonight at 11 PM, bring the ‘goods’ to this address. In-person inspection.” I clicked on the location – it was the outdoor parking lot of the upscale shopping center next door. Checking the time, I had half an hour. I quickly replied: “No problem, I’ll be there right on time!” With that sorted, I took a deep breath and walked out of the bedroom. Ryan was slumped on the couch, brows furrowed, staring at his phone with this heavy, troubled look. I walked over, wrapped my arms around his, and whined softly: “Sweetheart, you haven’t taken me to the movies in ages. I just booked tickets for a midnight showing, super intense! Shall we head out now?” Ryan stiffened when he saw the ticket info on my phone screen, and his face instantly went chalk white. “It’s so late. We won’t be back until after midnight. It’s not safe. Let’s go another time.” I was a bit taken aback. When we first started dating, we’d often sneak out for midnight movies. He was always the most eager one. Why was he so weird tonight? He was pale as a ghost, cold sweat beading on his forehead, and he kept darting glances at my phone. My heart sank. Had he seen a few messages pop up in the group chat? My brain raced, trying to figure out how to cover my tracks. Just then, Ryan suddenly pulled me into a tight hug, his voice choked: “Honey, I messed up big time. Can you please help me?”
I stared at him, utterly confused. With reddened eyes, he went on: “My business partner scammed me out of half a million dollars. If I don’t pay it back this week, my credit will be totally shot, and I’ll be blacklisted by every bank.” “Could you ask your dad to help me out, please? Just get me through this, and I promise I’ll work hard and be even better to you!” I leaned into his embrace, a cold dread washing over me. It was two hundred thousand dollars in gambling debt, but now it was half a million coming out of his mouth. What a genius scam. That extra three hundred grand? He’s definitely trying to pocket the difference! Any lingering guilt I had instantly evaporated. To avoid tipping him off, I managed to squeeze out a few fake tears, pretending to be shocked: “Half a million? How could this happen?” “Honey, don’t be scared. I’ll go back to my dad’s tomorrow to borrow the money. Whatever happens, we’ll face it together!” Ryan visibly relaxed at my words, hugging me tightly: “Honey, you’re the best. So, shall we go to the movie now?” I was about to agree when I noticed a nasty-looking rash on his arm: “What happened to you?” He scratched it uncomfortably and chuckled: “It’s nothing, just an allergy. A little medicine will fix it.” But I couldn’t help frowning. So many red spots. What if Ms. Victoria gets turned off by that? Thinking this, I immediately clutched my stomach, frowning: “Honey, I suddenly feel a bit unwell. Maybe I ate something bad today. Let’s save the movie for another time.” By the time I’d coaxed Ryan into the bathroom, it was past the time I’d agreed to meet Ms. Victoria. I quickly checked my phone. Sure enough, Ms. Victoria was blowing up the chat: “Where are you? Are you trying to mess with me? Standing me up, are you?” Followed by a string of angry emojis. My blood ran cold. I quickly apologized: “I’m so sorry! Something urgent came up, I really didn’t mean to!” But Ms. Victoria wouldn’t let it go. I gritted my teeth and pulled out my trump card, sending her a private pic of his abs I’d saved: “Sis, calm down. Good things are worth waiting for. Miss out on this, and you’ll regret it!” The other end of the phone was silent for a few seconds before she replied: “I’ll give you one last chance. Set a time before tomorrow night, or face the consequences!” I let out a long breath of relief: “You got it!” Just then, Ryan came out of the bathroom. He was wrapped in a bathrobe, his abs just peeking out. I looked at him, suddenly felt a little frisky, and reached out to grab his towel, wanting one last intimate moment. But he flinched back like I’d burned him, his eyes darting around: “Honey, I’m a bit tired, I want to go to bed early…” With that, he practically bolted under the covers. I was filled with questions. Was Ryan hiding something from me?
Once his breathing evened out and I was sure he was asleep, I quietly grabbed his phone and expertly unlocked it. When I saw his chat history with his relatives back home, I froze. He actually owed a quarter-million dollars. Two hundred thousand was lost to a scamming business partner. The remaining fifty thousand was for his grandfather’s emergency surgery and recovery treatments. The most recent photo in his gallery showed his grandpa in the ICU, hooked up to a million tubes. He’d even told his family not to let me know, so I wouldn’t worry. Had I misunderstood Ryan? My best friend, Chloe, who works at the bank, was the one who first told me he owed a couple hundred grand in gambling debt. Could Chloe have been wrong? My mind was a total mess, and a wave of guilt and uncertainty washed over me. No way. Before I handed him over, I had to figure out what was really going on with this debt. The next morning, I pretended to pack, saying I was going back to my parents’ place to ask for money. Ryan gently held my hand, touched: “Honey, thank you for doing this. I’ll be waiting for your good news!” I forced a smile, feeling conflicted as I left. I didn’t go to my dad’s; instead, I found a coffee shop to sit in. I wanted to call Chloe and get some answers. The moment she picked up, Chloe immediately started yelling into the phone: “Skylar! I was just about to call you! Guess who I saw? Your Ryan!” My heart tightened: “What happened?” Chloe continued: “That scumbag! He’s cheating on you! Right in the coffee shop below his office, all over his little secretary! It was sickening! I even got it on video!” The next second, a clear video popped up on my phone. In the video, Ryan and his young, pretty secretary, Tiffany, were sitting close together in a booth. He was holding a jewelry box, carefully slipping a massive diamond ring onto Tiffany’s finger. Tiffany gave a coy smile: “Ryan, babe, are you really gonna dump your old lady?” Ryan smirked, raising an eyebrow: “Of course. She’s already gone back to her parents to beg for money! Once I get my hands on it, I’m dumping her immediately!” “Then we’ll take the cash and go wherever we want, whenever we want!” Tiffany frowned slightly: “What about the half-million debt and your grandpa’s ‘illness’?” Ryan dotingly stroked her hair: “Silly girl, it’s all fake. If I don’t make the act convincing, how else will she happily empty her bank account for me?” I clutched my phone, my whole body trembling. So, this was the truth? The enormous debt was fake. His grandpa’s illness was fake. Ryan had gone to such great lengths just to drain me dry. Any lingering guilt or doubt I had instantly evaporated, replaced by a searing rage and bitter mockery. I took a deep breath and immediately opened Ms. Victoria’s chat: “Ms. Victoria, tonight at 8 PM, Marriott Hotel underground parking B-level. ‘Goods’ ready for inspection!” Next, I called Ryan, putting on a cheerful act: “Honey, good news! My dad agreed to help!” “He said he wants us all to have dinner tonight, give you the card, and celebrate our third anniversary. It’s at the Marriott Hotel’s Chinese restaurant, 8 PM sharp. Don’t be late!” Ryan was overjoyed: “Really? That’s amazing, sweetheart! I’ll be there on time! Love you!” I hung up, a cold smile playing on my lips. Since you betrayed me first, don’t blame me for finding you a new home!
At 7:30 PM, I arrived at the hotel parking lot early. The agreed time was approaching, but there was no sign of Ryan. I called him: “Ryan, where are you? Mom and Dad are waiting!” Ryan’s voice sounded anxious: “Honey, something urgent just came up here, I really can’t leave!” “Please tell your parents I’ll be a little late, but I promise I’ll be there!” I hung up, feeling suspicious. Logically, to get this money, Ryan should be more anxious than me. Why would he suddenly have an emergency? Then I remembered the couple’s tracking app Ryan and I had synced when we first started dating. I opened the app, and on the map, the little glowing dot representing Ryan was at the Hilton Hotel. I refreshed it several times, but it didn’t change. Almost simultaneously, Chloe’s message came through again: “Skylar, that scumbag Ryan is openly celebrating Tiffany’s birthday at the hotel! He even booked the top-floor suite, it’s outrageous!” She immediately sent a picture. It was Tiffany’s Ins story: “My old hag of a girlfriend just HAD to show off our ‘love,’ but guess who he came running to with one phone call?” Below was another picture. In the photo: roses, flowers, a fancy cake, and Ryan kissing Tiffany’s back. My heart sank completely. So this was his “emergency.” I sneered and sent a message to Ms. Victoria: “Ms. Victoria, change of location: Hilton underground parking A-level. There might be a slight delay, but he’ll be there!” After sending it, I immediately drove to the Hilton parking lot and quickly found Ryan’s BMW. With time running out, I quickly called Ryan, deliberately putting a sob in my voice: “Ryan, I left a really important USB drive in your car, in the passenger side glove compartment. I need it urgently, can you find a delivery service to bring it to me?” Ryan sounded a bit annoyed, but he still replied: “Okay, I know, just wait for it!” After hanging up, I immediately hid in the shadows, nervously watching the elevator. But twenty minutes passed, and neither Ryan nor Ms. Victoria appeared. I was burning with anxiety and called Ryan again, but this time, no one answered. Just then, heavy footsteps echoed from a corner of the parking lot. It wasn’t Ryan, but several burly men covered in tattoos. The leader had a menacing face and a thick gold chain, about the size of my pinky, hung around his neck. The leader walked closer, eyeing me up and down with a hostile gaze: “You’re Sky?” Sky was my nickname in the group. I thought they were Ms. Victoria’s muscle, so I quickly nodded: “That’s me, boss! Just a moment, please…” But before I could finish, the man grinned, cutting me off: “No need to wait!” I froze: “Huh? What do you mean?” The man waved his hand, and two burly henchmen immediately stepped forward, grabbing my arms: “Because we’re here for you!” I was completely bewildered, struggling and shouting: “What are you doing? You’ve got the wrong person! Let me go!” The leader pulled out his phone, opened an app, and shoved it in front of my face. It was a group chat. The chat history stopped at a message: “Sweet and sassy, fair-skinned and fun-loving. Looking for a new ‘partner’!” The message was followed by my swimsuit picture from my trip to Hawaii. The man grinned, leaning closer: “Someone put up half a million dollars for you. We just do what we’re paid to do!” As he spoke, his hand reached out. I was icy cold, as if struck by lightning. Who listed me? Could it be Ryan? But Chloe took this picture; he’d never even seen it! Suddenly, it all clicked, a cold wave of understanding washing over me.
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