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?"

sharks. When I couldn't pay, they started harassing me, calling nonstop Now they're threatening my parents." Guilt hit me like a gut punch. "Why didn't you

she had tried to reach me. Maybe she'd

she wouldn't have tried to end her life. But it was too late for

asked, "So, you're in Lindale

buying it. Lindale? With no connections

$3,000 or $4,000 a month-which was a stretch-that was 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. That kind of endless grind would break her long

the stress of her

pay you $500,000 upfront as an advance on

the people you

answer hit me like

Why? I blurted,

money," she said, her voice shaking "I can't just take yours to pay it off.

asking for repayment, Demi! There's

doing anything stupid again. Isn't that

but she

What a stubborn girl.