Page 42 of You Owe Me

She can’t know.

Not because she wouldn’t understand. But because she would. She’d drop everything. Rearrange her entire world to orbit mine. She’d cry when I wasn’t looking. She’d cancel her internship, stop taking care of herself, and watch me sleep like I might stop doing it.

And I can’t have that.

I’d rather go through it alone than watch her try to carry me like I’m made of glass. Like I’m dying. Like I’m the one who needs protecting.

Same goes for Pops. He already thinks I quit the firm. That I walked away when he told me to. If he finds out I didn’t, if he finds out I’ve been running the business behind his back, he’ll blow. He’ll change the passwords, call the board, lock me out before I get the chance to fix what the old guard keeps screwing up.

That company is the reason I haven’t lost everything. It’s how I pay for Cooper’s gear. For the apartment. For every favor I’ve leveraged into this web that keeps the roof from caving in.

If Pops finds out the truth, he won’t be disappointed.

He’ll cut me off.

So, I’ll lie.

Not because I want to. Because it’s the only way to keep them from pulling me off the board.

The phone buzzes.

Ainsley: Lunch is sea lion-themed. Don’t ask. Call me when you’re done pretending you’re not stressed.

My thumb hovers over the screen. I could text her something dumb. Deflect. Joke. She’d see through it anyway.

I lock the phone without replying.

Instead, I swipe over to the IOU list. The real one. The one with leverage.

I scroll:

—Graham, J. — Class proxy (ethics, econ, intro to psych)

—Matthews, K. — Email rerouting / IT override

—Aldrin, T. — Lab coat + ID swap for med shadowing (knows hospital schedules)

—Viv — admin front desk at Havemeyer Medical—flirted once, thinks I’m British

Enough. I’ve got enough to vanish for three days. Maybe more. Long enough for the procedure, recovery, and to come back without limping.

But it’s risky. Being gone three days? With Carter sniffing around, running his mouth, making plays?

I don’t like it.

The guy’s not just ambitious. He’s calculated. The type to circle while I’m down. To flash his credentials and his bullshit smile and talk Ainsley into thinking he’s not just another entitled asshole with a grudge. He knows just enough to be dangerous. And he wants what he didn’t earn, her included.

The idea of leaving her while he’s still lurking?

Makes me want to cancel the whole damn thing and handle it myself.

But I can’t.

So, I’ll have to make sure my absence is locked down.

Now, the story.

I’ll tell Ainsley I’m heading to watch Cooper in the regional championship. That I’m staying a few extra days to check on Pops. That I need a break, and this is the only version of rest I can tolerate. She’ll buy it because it’s half-true.

---