Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English | NEW
Synopsis
The day I finally saved enough for a house down payment, my sister fell to her knees, begging me.
"Please, if you don't help me pay off this twenty grand, I'll kill myself!"
She sobbed hysterically, swearing she would never touch gambling again.
In a moment of weakness, I emptied out my entire life savings and cleared her debt.
Yet barely a month later, loan sharks showed up at my doorstep, demanding another thirty grand.
My boss fired me on the spot without letting me explain.
My landlord kicked me out into the street that very night, claiming my ruined credit made me a liability.
With nowhere left to go, I went to find my sister.
Instead, I found her carrying a designer purse, laughing as she told her friends:
"Thirty grand? Who cares? Once I shed a couple of tears, she'll pay it all over again."
Chloe's voice hit me like a dull blade twisting in my chest.
The dorm door was cracked open. My hand froze on the doorknob as the blood drained from my face, turning me into stone right there in the hallway.
The laughter from inside didn't stop.
"Chloe, your sister is seriously the best. She dropped twenty grand on you last time without batting an eye."
"That's just because she's an idiot." Chloe giggled, her tone light and breezy, as if talking about a complete stranger.
"Ever since we were kids, whenever I cried, she folded. She just loves playing the martyr. She has to act like the saintly big sister."
Loud laughter drifted through the door, piercing my ears.
I took a step back, my shoulder hitting the cold corridor wall. The chill snapped me back to reality.
This wasn't a nightmare. It was real.
A month ago, Chloe had dropped to her knees in front of me, her hair messy and her eyes bloodshot.
"I owe money! Please, if you don't help me, I'm going to jump off the bridge! I'll end it all!"
She had wept so hard she choked, clinging to my legs, slamming her forehead against the floorboards.
I had just gotten off a brutal overtime shift. I had walked half the city just to bring her favorite takeout to my apartment.
Twenty thousand dollars.
Every single cent I had saved over years of grueling work.
I had hesitated. Just for a second.
Then I looked at her face. I remembered the year our parents died in a car crash. She was only eight, clutching my arm, crying, "Did Mom and Dad abandon us?" I could never forget that terror in her eyes.
"I swear, I'll never gamble again! If I do, struck me down where I stand!"
I believed her.
I transferred every dollar I had, even borrowed two grand from a coworker just to round it out, clearing all her debts.
After that, she posted on Ins for an entire week. Captions like Best sister ever and Blessed with the world's greatest sister, paired with pictures of the meals I cooked for her.
I really thought she had changed.
Yet less than a month later, a collection agency called my office.
"Is this Avery Campbell? Your sister Chloe Campbell owes our agency thirty thousand dollars. You're listed as her cosigner. If you don't pay up, we will take legal action."
I froze.
"That's impossible. Her debts are cleared."
The man on the other end let out a mocking laugh.
"Cleared? She took out another thirty grand with us last month and hasn't paid back a cent. As the cosigner, you are legally liable."
Cosigner?
I never signed a single paper.
When I pulled up my credit report, my stomach dropped.
There was my name, right at the top.
My sister had taken my Social Security number, forged my signature, and taken out a high-interest loan under my name.
I called Chloe like a madwoman.
Straight to voicemail.
I took time off work and went straight to her campus. Her dormmates told me she hadn't slept there in a week.
"Chloe's been loaded lately, though. She bought new designer bags, expensive sneakers, and treated everyone to lavish dinners."
That was when the truth hit me. Those twenty thousand dollars never went toward any debt.
She blew it all on luxury.And the second thirty grand was lost at an underground casino.
When my manager called me into his office, I was still staring at her social media feeds.
"Avery, we received calls claiming you're tied up in major debt disputes and facing severe credit issues. Given the situation, we can't keep you in the finance department."
I tried to explain, but he waved a hand, cutting me off.
"It's not about whether I believe you. Our clients need someone with a spotless financial record. Please pack up your desk."
The moment I stepped out of the office carrying a cardboard box, my landlord called.
"Avery, I just ran a background check. Why is your credit in the trash? I can't rent to someone with collection flags. Move out today."
"Can you give me three days?"
"No. Move out now. I'll be there in an hour."
That night, I sat on the curb with my suitcase for hours.
The city lights hurt my eyes. People rushed past in every direction, not a single person glancing my way.
In the end, I still came to Chloe's dorm.
I thought she might at least feel a shred of guilt.
Instead, I stood outside listening to her brag:
"She's a total pushover. I'll just cry a little, and she'll pay it all off like a good little dog."
Inside, someone asked, "Where's your sister now? What if she cuts you off?"
"Who cares? She won't die. My sister was born to be a doormat. You can step on her all you want."
More laughter erupted.
I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms, the pain grounding me.
No.
Never again.
I took a deep breath and shoved the door open.
The door swung wide.
The laughter died instantly.
Three girls sat inside. On the table between them were several luxury shopping bags, the deep red and glossy boxes glaring under the fluorescent lights.
Chloe held a glass of red wine, a smug grin still frozen on her face.
The two girls next to her were her college friends, Sophia and Harper. Neither came from money, but both hung around Chloe for free perks.
All three froze, staring at me.
Chloe’s hand shook. Red wine splashed across her pristine white dress. In a split second, her smirk morphed into sheer panic.
"Avery... when did you get here?"
I didn't answer. My eyes swept over the coffee table.
A Louis Vuitton bag, a Gucci shoe box, and a Tiffany necklace.
Twenty grand. Then thirty grand.
This was where it went.
"I've been standing outside for a while," I said, my voice shockingly calm. "Long enough to hear everything."
Chloe went paper-white.
Sophia and Harper exchanged nervous glances, edging toward the door, desperate to disappear.
"Avery, let me explain! I was just talking trash, just showing off to my friends! I didn't mean it..."
Chloe set her glass down, jumped up, and forced an ingratiating smile.
She reached for my arm, her fingers icy cold, just like when she was terrified as a little kid.
I used to cave the moment she looked like this.
Now, it just made me sick.
"Talking trash?" I yanked my arm away. "What about the twenty grand? Was that just trash talk too?"
"I..."
"And forging my signature on that thirty-thousand-dollar loan?"
"Avery, I had an emergency! I was going to pay you back once I made the money, I swear! Please believe me!"
Her eyes instantly rimmed with red. Tears welled up on cue, flowing as easily as turning on a faucet.Ever since we were little, this trick never failed.
When our parents died, I worked three jobs just to keep a roof over our heads and pay her tuition.
I used to collapse on the floor from pure exhaustion, and she would hug me, crying, Avery, I'll study hard and make it up to you.
I believed that lie for ten years.
"Believe you?"
I looked down at her hand, still clutching my sleeve. "Remember when you swore you'd never touch a loan again or you'd die a horrible death?"
Her fingers stiffened.
"You were crying just like this when you said it."
Her mouth opened, but no words came out.
Sophia grabbed her phone, unable to sit through the tension any longer. "Uh... Chloe, I just remembered I have stuff to do. I gotta go."
Harper quickly stood up as well.
Chloe snapped her head toward them, her expression turning vicious, unrecognizable from a second ago. "Where do you think you're going?! Didn't you just say she'd fold like she always does?!"
She said it with such brazen entitlement.
A cold laugh escaped my lips.
Sophia and Harper stood frozen in sheer embarrassment, trapped between staying and leaving.
"Avery..." Chloe turned back to me, dropping straight to her knees, exactly like last time.
She wrapped her arms around my legs, looking up at me as thick tears streamed down her cheeks. "I was wrong! I know I messed up! Just forgive me this once, the absolute last time!"
I stared down at her.
She still had her soft features and clear skin, her large eyes swollen and red.
She looked just like our mother, especially when she cried.
Except our mother would never treat me like this.
"Do you know where I'm sleeping tonight?" I asked softly.
Chloe blinked.
"You don't care, do you?" I pulled her fingers off me, one by one.
"My landlord kicked me out because you ruined my credit score. My company fired me because your loan sharks were blowing up their phones."
Her mouth hung open, tears trailing down her chin, completely speechless.
"I dragged my suitcase through the streets for two hours, and the only person I thought to turn to was you."
I stepped back, putting distance between us.
"And here you are, telling your friends that I'm just a doormat who deserves to be stepped on."
"Avery..." Her voice began to tremble.
"From today on, you are not my sister."
When I said the words, I thought my heart would break.
It didn't.
The place in my chest that had been stabbed too many times had simply gone numb.
I turned toward the door.
"Avery! You can't leave!" Chloe crawled forward, grabbing my jeans. "Stop right there!"
Her whimpering turned into an ear-splitting shriek.
I paused, looking back at her.
Her face twisted with rage. Tears still hung from her chin, but her eyes had completely changed—venomous, frantic, ugly.
"If you leave, who's going to pay for my stuff?! What am I supposed to do?!"
Those words nailed me to the spot.
Not out of pity, but out of absolute disgust at how shameless she could be.
"What are you supposed to do?" I crouched down to meet her gaze. "That's your problem."
"Avery Campbell! Do you have any idea how much money I owe out there?! If you don't pay, they'll come for me! They'll beat me to death!"
She dropped the act entirely.
Good.
"And what does that have to do with me?"
Chloe’s eyes bulged, staring at me as if I had spoken in tongues.
"Are you insane?! I'm your sister!"
"Didn't you just tell your friends: Who cares, she won't die?"
Her face flushed crimson, her lips quivering like a fish gasping for air on dry land.
I didn't waste another second. I grabbed my suitcase by the door and stepped out into the hall.
Behind me, a piercing scream shattered the air, followed by the crash of glass shattering against the door.
"Avery Campbell! Get back here! If you leave, I'll kill myself!"
Chapters (3)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Watch & Promotions
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