The police had questioned Christopher for several hours. Despite presenting evidence of his relationship with Skylar, they refused to believe him. The proof Skylar had provided clearly showed that Christopher had borrowed money from her. When he saw the $100,000 sitting in his bank account, he was disgusted by the idea of paying it back.
Christopher had thought that Skylar was simply throwing a tantrum. He hadn’t been paying much attention to her lately, preferring to spend his time with Maisy. If she missed him, why didn’t she just tell him? Why did she have to go to such extremes and cause this much drama? Didn’t she realize that her behavior would only make him dislike her more?
Frustrated, Christopher called Skylar again.
Skylar was on the subway when the call came through. As she saw his name on the screen, her heart twinged with pain. She clenched her phone tightly before answering.
Christopher didn’t expect her to pick up. He had been certain that she would ignore his call, but when she did answer, he thought this was just another act to get him to coax her.
“Babe, are you upset because I haven’t been around lately? I’ve been swamped with work. Where are you right now? I’ll come to you,” he said, trying to sound soothing.
He continued, “You know how much I care about you. We’ve been together since high school. You should understand by now that I’m doing all this for us. At the end of the year, I’m getting a $300,000 bonus, and I’ll give it all to you.”
Skylar’s eyes narrowed in contempt as she listened to his empty words.
“Christopher, you better pay me back as soon as possible, or I’ll have my lawyer come after you,” she said sharply.
Christopher, stunned, stammered, “Babe, did you hear some rumors? When did you start caring so much about money? Our relationship isn’t about that, is it?”
Before he could say anything further, the call suddenly disconnected. Skylar had hung up on him.
The audacity of his words made Skylar feel sick. She was done listening to his lies and manipulations. As she pocketed her phone, she felt the growing sense of determination to handle this situation on her own terms.
Meanwhile, Christopher stared at his phone, his face contorted in anger. His grip tightened around the device as he muttered under his breath, “Skylar, what are you playing at? Do you think I won’t break up with you if you keep acting like this?”
He took a deep breath, steeling himself. He needed to pay her back before things got worse. The police had already shown up at his office earlier today, and if Skylar decided to take legal action, his career would be over. He had to pay her back quickly and then have Amelia call her later. He was certain Skylar would end up transferring the money back to him by then.
He immediately transferred the $100,000 back to her and sent a text.
“Babe, I’ve transferred the money. Don’t worry about Mom; I’ll figure out another way. If you’re feeling down, I can take you on a trip this weekend.”
Skylar received the notification about the transfer, and for a moment, she stared at the $100,000 now in her account. She felt a pang of disbelief. She quickly regained her composure and decided to transfer $90,000 to her mother, keeping only $10,000 for herself.
“Mom, this is the money I’ve saved up from working during school breaks and from the money you’ve given me. You probably need it more than I do right now, so you can use it,” she texted.
When Janine received the notification and read Skylar’s message, she was floored. She immediately called her daughter.
“Skye, you’ve just graduated and don’t have a job yet. You still need money yourself! I can manage, and I get an allowance from Steven and Charles every month. I can’t take your money. I’ll transfer it back to you.”
Skylar’s thoughtful gesture made Janine smile, but there was an underlying concern in her voice. “Mom, I don’t need anything right now. You and Dad can use it. I’ll talk to you more when I get back in a few days,” Skylar replied.
Janine looked at her phone, conflicted. She appreciated her daughter’s kindness, but something didn’t sit right with her. She could tell something was wrong. Skylar had been acting distant, and Janine needed to know what was going on with her. How were the Williamses treating her?
Janine decided to call Sadie, a name that had been saved in her contacts for Skylar’s sake. Although she hadn’t planned on contacting Sadie, something told her it was time.
“Janine? Why are you calling me?” Sadie answered, her voice cold.
“I just wanted to know what’s going on with Skye,” Janine asked, sensing the contempt in Sadie’s tone.
Sadie sneered, “Well, now that you ask, I’ll tell you. I don’t know how you raised her, but she’s so disobedient and reckless. She talks back, and her manners are awful. During my birthday, she gave me this painting that looked like junk, claiming it was an ancient piece. How could she lie so easily?”
Janine’s blood boiled. How dare Sadie talk about her daughter like that?
Sadie continued, “She ran away again a couple of days ago. Did she come back to your place? We’re not going to take her in again unless she comes back and apologizes properly! If she doesn’t, she’s out of our lives for good.”
As Sadie ranted on, Janine’s hands shook in anger. She could no longer hold back. “Skylar has always been sensible! She must have had a good reason to run away. You and your family have treated her badly, and you owe her an apology, not the other way around!” Janine yelled before hanging up in frustration.
Her eyes welled up with tears as she realized how badly Skylar had been treated. The weight of it all hit her hard. She knew her daughter had been struggling at the Williams residence.
Meanwhile, Skylar was walking down an antique street in Jipsburg. The market was filled with all kinds of treasures, making it feel like she had stepped into another time. She carried a large bag, and inside was the old painting she had recovered from the Williams residence.
Several months ago, Skylar had bought the worn and tattered painting from an old man for $10,000. It had been in poor condition, missing pieces, and it had taken her three months to restore it. The man had claimed it was from 1120 BC, though it was impossible to verify the artist. But Skylar, with her eye for detail, recognized the painting as the work of a painter from that era known for depicting stunning scenery.
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