Betrayed at Christmas: The Price of Love
Chapter 7: The Breaking Point
After the doctor left, I turned to Savannah. “I need the dowry money back. I have to pay for my dad’s surgery.”
Savannah stepped away, her voice small. “I… I don’t have it.”
I looked at her father. “Well?”
He shrugged. “I left my card at home.”
“Venmo, PayPal—anything,” I insisted, pulling out my phone, my hands shaking.
He just frowned, unmoved. “Look, I get you need cash, but that’s the dowry you gave Savannah. It’s ours now. If you want it, write an IOU.”
Her brother handed me paper and a pen from the nurse’s station. “Just 2% interest. Not much.”
My anger exploded. I crumpled the paper, grabbed him by the head, and shoved it in his mouth.
“I’ll write your mother—”
My hands shook with fury. The fluorescent lights flickered, the world shrinking to the sound of my own heartbeat. I stared at Savannah’s family, my voice raw: “I’m done. I’m not your cash machine. And you—” I jabbed a finger at her father, “—should be ashamed.”
The hallway went silent except for the beeping of distant monitors. For the first time, I realized just how alone I was—and how much I’d lost.
