Shallow Love

On the last day of the deadline for the loan repayment, I went to Liam Sommer's stepsister, Christine Sommer, to ask for the 300,000 dollars I had lent her. The next day, Liam threw a ledger I had never seen before in front of me.

Liam said, "On your birthday last year, I transferred 8,100 dollars to you. On our tenth anniversary, I transferred 108,000 dollars to you. Also, at the beginning of every month, I transfer 20,000 dollars to you for your living expenses. You must pay me back by the end of today."

I froze, but Liam smiled without a hint of warmth. "What’s wrong? You can't afford to repay me? Evelyn Lancaster, you shouldn't have given Christy trouble. This is my lesson to you. If you don't pay me back today, let's not meet for the next three years, and don't come looking for me."

Over the next three years, I never saw Liam again, nor did I go looking for him. While he and Christine traveled around the world and wore couple rings, I married my childhood friend in front of our family and friends.

While he and Christine walked along the beach and kissed, I moved into a new house with my husband, our cat, and our dog.

Everything was moving along smoothly, but why was Liam standing under the window of my house in the middle of the night, crying and saying that he was unhappy?

A thick ledger was thrown in front of me. Each page recorded the money Liam Sommer had transferred to me over the past ten years. Even the time of each transaction was recorded.

Liam said, "On your birthday last year, I transferred 8,100 dollars to you. On our tenth anniversary, I transferred 108,000 dollars to you, and at the beginning of every month, I transferred 20,000 dollars to you for your living expenses. You must pay me back by the end of today. Each transfer has been recorded with the transaction time, so you can compare and check for yourself."

...

"What's wrong? You can't afford to repay me? Evelyn Lancaster, you shouldn't have given Christy trouble. This is my lesson to you. If you don't pay me back today, let's not meet for the next three years, and don't come looking for me." Liam's cold and resolute words echoed in my ears. He said that to get justice for his precious stepsister, Christine Sommer. This was because, yesterday, I had recovered the 300,000 dollars I had lent her.

Liam knew I had no money. My mother passed away when I was young, and my father had been bedridden for years. Any spare money I had was used to pay for my father's medical bills over the years. I was also jobless. My health deteriorated after a miscarriage in my early years. Coupled with anemia, I was constantly weak. No matter what I did, I would easily faint and break into cold sweat.

After letting out a sigh,