She Was Never Broke

I worked in bottle service at a nightclub for four years just to support my boyfriend.

His startup business failed. He told me he owed a fortune to loan sharks, saying that they would cut off his fingers if he failed to pay up.

I gave him every dollar I had saved just to help him clear off his debt.

I even gave him the emerald bracelet my mother had left me before she passed away.

That night, I unintentionally overheard a conversation from one of the private rooms while I was working.

"Preston, your girlfriend never would have given you that bracelet she had been hiding if Mia hadn't suggested we pretend to be debt collectors and assist you with this little show."

Preston Hale laughed smugly before draining the drink in his glass. "It's just an old bracelet. Mia liked it, so I gave it to her."

Then, he leaned back and added, "Now, help me think of another way to test Nora."

So that was the truth.

The love I dedicated for four years was just a test to him. The loan sharks, debt, fear, and desperation—he had orchestrated it all.

I turned, walking out on him and out of the nightclub.

Then, I reached out to my older brother, Adrian Whitmore, with whom I had been fighting for years.

"Adrian," I told him, "I lost. I'll marry the man you arranged for me to meet."

The Bracelet on Her Wrist

I had just hung up on Adrian when I saw Mia Sterling step out of a car.

The emerald bracelet was on her wrist, bright and unmistakable under the streetlights.

A moment later, Preston came out through the back door of the nightclub. The second he saw Mia, he strode over and pulled her into a hug like he had nothing to hide.

Then, he let go and met my eyes.

My bitterness must have been obvious, and so was the resentment I could no longer keep buried.

For once, Preston looked uneasy.

He quickly approached me.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

I ignored him.

My eyes stayed fixed on Mia's wrist.

Preston noticed immediately. His expression did not change as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Nora, Mia really liked that bracelet. She paid a very generous price for it."

Then, he gave my shoulder a light squeeze. "You should thank her."

I thought, 'Thank her? Really?'

Preston had tricked the bracelet out of my hands, so I knew full well that Mia had gotten it for nothing. Yet, they still expected me to thank her.

The lie was so atrocious that it bordered on ridiculous, but his good acting had been so convincing that he had me fooled for four entire years.

Now that I had finally seen Preston for who he really was, I felt almost relieved.

I didn't want to play this game of pretend any longer.

I looked at Mia and said, "I'm sorry, but the bracelet is