Ethan got out, looking surprised to see me standing there in the cold.

He walked slowly toward me, his shoulders slumped and his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

“Sophia?” he asked, his voice tentative. “Did you change your mind?”

I let my lip tremble slightly, pretending to wipe a tear from my cheek.

“I’m just so tired, Ethan,” I whispered, looking down at the gravel.

He stepped closer, his face softening with a look of relief.

“I know, honey,” he said, reaching out to touch my shoulder. “I’m tired too. We can fix this.”

I pulled back slightly, just enough to look vulnerable but not entirely closed off.

“I want to help you,” I lied. “But I cannot let your mother ruin us.”

“She won’t,” Ethan promised quickly. “I’ll handle her.”

“I need to know everything first,” I said. “Every single dime you owe.”

Ethan hesitated, his eyes darting toward the car where Linda was watching us through the windshield.

“It’s not that much,” he lied.

“If you want my help, I need the truth,” I said. “I can get my hands on fifty thousand dollars by tomorrow morning.”