Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right by Rosie Steppe

Chapter 646

Demi's call came in while I was in the bathroom, wiping Ron's splash attack off my face.

"Keira." Her voice was flat, almost hollow-so unlike the Demi I used to know. She used to talk like every sentence was lit with fireworks, sharp and alive. Now? That fire was gone.

I didn't know every detail of what happened, but her suicide attempt had left a mark. She wasn't the same, and it broke my heart to hear it.

"If you didn't call me soon, I was about to come hunt you down myself," I said, trying to inject some levity into my tone.

"Don't come. I'm fine," she cut in, her tone shaky.

I tossed the crumpled paper towel in the trash and leaned against the sink. "Fine? Sure, because that sounded convincing. Spill, Demi What's going on?"

She went quiet for so long I thought the call dropped. Then, finally, her voice cracked through the silence. "I have nothing left. Nothing And now I'm stuck with almost $500,000 in debt."

Wayne had mentioned her boyfriend before, so the pieces clicked fast-she'd been played. Scammed by someone she trusted.

I gritted my teeth. "And your grand solution was to kill yourself? Is that what your life is worth-half a million

• dollars?"

loans... and loan sharks. When I couldn't pay, they started harassing me, calling nonstop Now they're threatening my parents." Guilt hit me like a gut

asked, it clicked-I smashed my phone back then. Maybe she

wouldn't have

asked, "So, you're

buying it. Lindale? With no connections and only a high school diploma? She wasn't finding some magical

barely $36,000 to $48,000 a year. Half a million in debt? That'd take her ten years. And that's if she didn't spend a dime on herself.

her parents? They'd never survive the stress

upfront as an advance on your salary." As

people you love

me like a

Why? I blurted,

nothing to you, but I borrowed that money," she said, her voice shaking "I can't just take yours to pay it off. And what if I can't even repay you? I need to do this on

right now?" I snapped, frustration bubbling over. I'm not asking for repayment, Demi! There's no deadline,

not doing anything stupid again. Isn't that enough? Then she hung up before I

back, but she wouldn't

What a stubborn girl.