PART 4
“Well,” I said, “that sounds lovely.”
“Lauren, please,” he said quickly. “The card isn’t working and the hotel is asking for another payment method. Can you just transfer money so I can fix it?”
I crossed my legs under the desk.
“Why can’t you use your own card?”
“That’s the problem,” he said. “I grabbed yours by accident. They look the same.”
Convenient.
“So you accidentally took my debit card,” I said slowly, “and used it for a luxury vacation.”
“It wasn’t planned like that,” he insisted.
Sure.
I glanced at the time.
Daniel should be heading toward Room 804 soon.
“You know something interesting?” I said casually.
“What?”
“You’re staying at my brother’s hotel.”
Dead silence.
“…What?”
“Daniel saw you.”
I could hear Ethan’s breathing change.
“He called me yesterday.”
“Oh my God…”
“Yes,” I said calmly. “He told me everything.”
“Lauren, listen—”
“It’s exactly what it looks like.”
“Please,” Ethan said. “Just help me fix the payment so we can deal with this later.”
Later.
After his tropical vacation was finished.
After he had enjoyed the beach and champagne.
Not a chance.
“You’ll need to figure it out,” I replied.
“Lauren,” he said desperately, “if the hotel doesn’t get payment, they’re going to kick us out.”
In the background, I heard a woman’s voice.
“Ethan, what’s going on?”
She sounded irritated.
I smiled.
“Sounds like your friend is getting nervous.”
“Please,” he whispered. “Just this once.”
I checked the time again.
Perfect timing.
My phone buzzed.
Daniel: I’m at the door.
“Hold on,” I said.
Daniel had the camera on when he knocked.
I watched the video call from my desk as Room 804’s door opened.
Ethan stood there wearing a wrinkled shirt.
Behind him, a tall brunette woman leaned against the bed with crossed arms.
The room looked exactly how I imagined.
Champagne.
Two glasses.
Clothes everywhere.
Daniel spoke professionally.
“Sir, I’m with hotel management. Unfortunately, the card on file is no longer valid. We’ll need another payment method immediately.”
Ethan turned pale.
“I—uh—there must be a mistake.”
“I’m afraid not.”
The woman rolled her eyes.
“Ethan, just use another card.”
“I can’t,” he whispered.
“Why not?”
He didn’t answer.
Because my card had been frozen.
And his own was sitting safely in a drawer at home.
With me.
Back on the phone, Ethan whispered urgently.
“Lauren, please. Just send money so I can settle the bill.”
I watched him squirm through Daniel’s camera.
“No,” I said simply.
“Please.”
“You lied to me.”
“Lauren—”
“You cheated on me.”
He didn’t deny it.
“You used my money to do it.”
Silence.
“So no,” I said calmly. “I won’t help you.”
Then I hung up.
But the real consequences were only beginning.
Ethan called eight times in the next hour.
I ignored every single one.
At 2:00 p.m., Daniel texted again.
They’re packing. The woman is furious.
I laughed softly.
For the first time since yesterday, I felt calm.
Because the man who thought he could lie to me was finally learning something important.
Actions have consequences.
And Ethan was about to experience every single one of them.
Ethan called again at 2:17 p.m.
I let the phone ring twice before answering.
“Lauren,” he said immediately, his voice hoarse. “Please don’t hang up.”
I remained silent.
He took that as permission to continue.
“They made us check out,” he said. “We’re in the lobby now.”
I pictured it instantly.
Daniel’s hotel lobby was enormous—marble floors, tall windows overlooking the ocean, quiet piano music playing in the background. The kind of place where people in linen clothes sipped cocktails and talked about sailing trips.
And now my husband—the man who thought he could steal a vacation using my money—was sitting there with luggage, unable to pay his bill.
Good.
“You shouldn’t have a problem,” I said calmly. “Just use another card.”
“I told you,” he said desperately. “I left my wallet at home.”
“Then it sounds like you made a bad decision.”
“You don’t understand,” he said. “We don’t even have enough cash for a taxi.”
In the background, the woman’s voice rose again.
“Ethan, are you fixing this or not?”
Her tone was sharp, impatient.
He covered the receiver, but not well enough.
“I’m trying,” he whispered to her.
Trying.
I leaned back in my chair and looked out the office window. The California sun was bright, and the harbor glimmered in the distance.
“Lauren,” Ethan said again. “Please.”
“What about your friend?” I asked.
“She’s… upset.”
I almost laughed.
“I’m shocked.”
“This isn’t funny.”
“No,” I said. “It isn’t.”
For a moment neither of us spoke.
Then he said something that surprised me.
“She thought I had money.”
Ah.
Now the truth was coming out.
“She didn’t know you were using my card?”
“No.”
“Interesting.”
I imagined the conversation that must have happened when the payment declined.
The moment when the illusion collapsed.
The moment when the woman realized the man she’d flown to Hawaii with wasn’t nearly as impressive as he’d claimed.
“Lauren,” Ethan said carefully, “I made a mistake.”
I said nothing.
“A huge mistake.”
Still nothing.
“But it doesn’t have to ruin everything.”
Now I did laugh.
“Everything?” I repeated.
“Our marriage.”
“Our marriage ended the moment you booked that plane ticket.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Not fair?” I repeated.
“You froze my card.”
“You stole my money.”
He went quiet again.
In the background, the woman spoke loudly.
“I’m getting a flight home.”
Ethan whispered something back to her.
Then he returned to the phone.
“She’s leaving,” he said.
“Good.”
“She’s blaming me for everything.”
“Well,” I said calmly, “that sounds accurate.”
He exhaled heavily.
“Lauren… can I come home?”
“Not as my husband.”
Silence.
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’ve already called a lawyer.”
His breathing stopped.
“You’re serious?”
“Yes.”
“Lauren—please—don’t do this.”
“Why not?”
“Because we can fix this.”
“No,” I said quietly. “We can’t.”
“I swear it meant nothing.”
“You took her to Hawaii.”
“I don’t even like her that much.”
May you like
I almost admired the honesty.
“That’s worse,” I said.
