I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 199

Sienna's brow contorted into a tight knot, her fingers tapping aimlessly against the table. She suddenly stopped, her voice dropping to a low, embarrassed whisper, afraid anyone might overhear that she was in a massive financial hole.

"Where am I supposed to find half a million dollars? Please, just lend me the money. The second my project pays out, I'll pay you back with interest. I swear I won't ghost you."

Setting her coffee cup down, Seraphina let a perfectly calculated look of guilt wash over her features. Her tone was agonizingly sweet, dripping with fake sincerity.

"You know I just started at the Institute. I'm still on my probation period, and I really don't have any savings of my own. Finnegan manages all my living expenses, and he demands receipts for any large transactions. I truly just don't have that kind of spare cash right now."

She paused, watching the slivers of hope completely drain from Sienna's face, before smoothly pivoting with an intensely earnest tone.

"But I'll help you figure something out. Why don't you go talk to Nora first? Beg her to sign the settlement and get your cousin out. You guys used to be incredibly close. Do you really think she'd want to destroy you? Think about it—how much have you done for her over the years? Whenever she was sad, weren't you the one sitting beside her? Whenever she needed a favor, didn't you bend over backward? She can't possibly just stand by and watch you fall off a cliff."

Seraphina's words flawlessly plucked the most volatile string in Sienna's mind.

Listening to her, the fire in Sienna's chest roared into a blazing inferno.

Seraphina was right. She and Nora used to be thick as thieves. They used to share clothes, swap makeup, and talk on the phone until their batteries overheated at 3 A.M.

She had sacrificed so much for Nora. And the payoff? Over one measly failed blind date and a petty half a million dollars, Nora had called the cops, locked her cousin in a cell, and was threatening to ruin her life in court.

Did Nora really think a lousy loan made her royalty?

Ten years of history, and she'd turned on her faster than flipping a switch.

The more Sienna dwelled on it, the more toxic her rage became. She yanked out her phone and started drafting a text to Nora. She debated the wording obsessively, typing, deleting, and retyping.

Finally, she hit send on a message that sounded painfully sincere, almost begging: "Nora, please, let's just talk. I know I was completely out of line. I will return the money to you, but we have to sit down and talk this out first. Ten years of friendship—we owe it to each other to have a real conversation. Please?"

After the text went through, Sienna's grip on her phone tightened until her knuckles turned ghostly white.

She let out a dark sneer, shoved the phone into her purse, and stormed out of the cafe.