On the other end of the line, Stewart's voice went soft and coaxing.

"Okay, okay, just hold on a second. Let me finish this with Lucy first."

Then his tone flipped a full one-eighty.

"Lucy Pruitt, are you done throwing your little tantrum? Transfer the money to the account already, don't waste everyone's time."

I asked, cold. "Are you still with Melinda right now?"

Stewart admitted it without a shred of shame. "Yeah, Mel's right here beside me. So what?"

"So what?" I laughed, furious.

"She's sitting in a VIP lounge sipping coffee, and you're over here acting like your hair's on fire?"

"She just crashed into low blood sugar because we didn't get the house! I'm taking care of a sick person here!"

His excuse was clumsy and ridiculous. "Can you not be so petty about this?"

"I'm petty?" The shout finally tore out of me. "Stewart! You are out of your mind!"

"Lucy, keep your voice down!" He seemed afraid the people around him would hear.

"I'm coming over right now. You get the house sorted, and I'll take you to buy any designer bag you want, call it an apology, okay?"

I thought about the down payment, how I wouldn't even spring for a twenty-dollar takeout order, how I ate the lunch I packed every single day.

And he, so lightly, dangled a handbag at me, like it could cancel out millions in betrayal and lies.

Ding.

Another text from the bank.

The transfer window closes in 15 minutes. Please complete your facial-recognition authorization immediately.

Stewart clearly heard the alert tone through the phone.

His voice turned frantic in an instant.

"You hear that! Lucy! Authorize it now! You want every relative and friend we have laughing at our family?"

I said into the phone, mocking.

"Stewart, you only care that you'll look like a fool for not getting the house. You don't care at all how monstrous you look, playing your fiancée's whole family for idiots?"

"Lucy, don't say that, Stew only did it for me—"

Melinda's fake, wounded little voice slipped back in.

Before she could finish, Stewart cut her off, snarling.

"Lucy, let me tell you something! Over a little bit of money, you have to nickel and dime, wreck two families' relationship, are you sick in the head?"

The bank app's pop-up jumped onto the screen, pushing me to complete the final step.

I hung up, tuning out Stewart's insane roaring on the line completely.

A few minutes later my front door slammed open.

Stewart charged across the room and lunged for my phone.

"How long are you going to drag this out? Now! Right now! Transfer the money! Facial recognition!"

He jabbed a finger at the watch on his wrist, face twisted, screaming at me.

"The bank's about to close! If you don't transfer the money, someone else is going to snatch this school-district spot! Can you carry that responsibility?"

I took a step back and looked at him, cold.

Melinda cowered behind him like a startled little rabbit, all fragile and helpless.

"Mr. and Mrs. Pruitt!" Seeing I wouldn't budge, Stewart wheeled around to pressure my parents.

"You two talk some sense into Lucy! Don't let her wreck the peace between our families over a little money! How are we supposed to be in-laws after this!"

He was treating my parents like an ATM he could work however he pleased.

"A little money?" I finally spoke, cold.

"Stewart, in your eyes, my parents' life savings are just a little money, just a number, is that it?"

"I said I'd pay it back!" He cut me off, impatient, still pushing. "Quit stalling! Just do the recognition!"

Mom's eyes brimmed with tears, and her hand went for the other bank card in her pocket, ready to spend her own retirement savings just to make the trouble go away.

I clamped down hard on her wrist.

We couldn't back down.

The moment we gave in today, these two leeches would drain my parents dry for the rest of their lives.

"Get out!"

Dad stepped in front of us, planting himself between Stewart and the two of us.

He jabbed a finger at Stewart's face.

"This wedding's off! Get the hell out of here!"

Right then, a few cars pulled up outside our door.

Stewart's relatives.

They'd been planning to head straight to the new place to tour it and celebrate. It never crossed their minds that something had gone wrong with the purchase.

"What's going on here?"

"Weren't they buying a house? Why's everyone shouting?"

"Lucy, why do you look so awful?"

A text alert chimed. A private message from the agent.

【Miss Pruitt, have you and Mr. Dickerson worked things out? The sellers say not only will they keep the twenty-thousand-dollar deposit, you'll also owe a penalty fee of ten percent of the total price.】

Mom had clearly seen it too.

"Lucy, stop this, please. Just send the money over…"

Seeing his chance, Stewart hurried over at once, all fake generosity.

"Look at the state you've got your mother into. Don't drag your parents out onto the street to embarrass themselves like this!"

I thought about how Dad, trying to save a little more, wouldn't even run the air conditioning in summer.

How Mom, to pinch pennies, hadn't bought herself a single new outfit in three years.

"Stewart, I'm asking you one last time." My voice was frighteningly calm.

"Right now, this second, put the name on the deed back. There's still time."

A flicker of hesitation crossed Stewart's face. Then he glanced at Melinda behind him, standing there looking so pitiful.

His answer came without a shred of doubt:

"No way! Lucy, I can't let Mel suffer. For the sake of the bigger picture, just swallow this one, all right?"

I drew a deep breath and stopped sparring with Stewart entirely.

I didn't look at him again.

I took out my phone, and in front of every one of his relatives, I tapped the option.

【Cancel the home-purchase escrow account】.

The next second, a crisp system chime came from the phone.

【Operation successful.】

The expression on Stewart's face froze solid.