Page 14 of Proposition 2

Paid in full.

Pending was highlighted beside the words, but that didn’t stop them from hitting me like a punch to the gut.

Someone had paid off our debts. The house, Momma’s medical bills, the past-due electric. When I checked, even the one small credit card I had was paid off, leaving only the regular monthly bills.

Leo.

There was no other explanation. No one else had that kind of money, nor any reason to spend it on us.

Or more accurately, me. The bills may be in Momma’s name, but I was the one who managed them and worked for the money. I was the one responsible for the debt once I’d had the doctor give me the letter stating Momma wasn’t capable anymore.

My chest tightened as I fought back tears.

I wanted to scream and cry. I wanted to throw things and rage at the way he’d taken the option of doing it on my own away from me.

And I wanted to drop to my knees and weep at the relief coursing through my veins. The guillotine of debt and worry had hung over my head for so many years I hadn’t noticed how heavy it was until it was gone.

I had to remind myself it wasn’t gone. The debt was still there. Simply… refinanced, with one lender.

I swallowed hard, straightening in my chair as the first of my coworkers returned from their lunch. Blinking away the tears, I pasted on my fake smile like all was right in the world even though pressure was building inside once again.

The banks and companies I’d owed were known entities. Bound by legal constraints.

Leo was a law unto himself. I didn’t know what he wanted from me, or how far he was willing to go to get it. And I couldn’t stop the thrill it sent up my spine knowing he’d already gone this far to have me.

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