He Faked Poverty, Tricked Me Into an Abortion, All for a Bet Chapter 06

He Faked Poverty, Tricked Me Into an Abortion, All for a Bet Chapter 06

For a moment, I could not process what he had said.

I stood frozen in place, and it took me two full seconds to force out a response.

“Then I’ll come back right away…”

“What are you coming back for? Do you have money to burn? Save the fare and send it to me instead!”

My voice trembled.

“How much do you need?”

“Send three thousand dollars for now. If it isn’t enough, I’ll ask you for more. Hurry up. The hospital is waiting for us to confirm the surgery arrangements!”

He hung up.

I stood there blankly, with no idea how much time had passed.

When Ethan opened the door and came home, he looked at me, then at the half-packed suitcase

beside me.

His brow furrowed immediately.

“Erin, what are you doing?”

I suddenly came back to my senses, and my voice was hoarse when I spoke.

“Ethan… Grandma fell down the stairs. My uncle says they need three thousand dollars. Could

you…”

The words nearly caught in my throat.

“Could you lend me some money?”

Ethan fell silent.

He stood where he was and avoided my eyes.

“Erin, it isn’t that I don’t want to help. But you know I already took out a short-term loan before. My

credit is ruined.”

When I heard that, I wanted desperately to confront him.

One bottle of wine cost you twenty-five thousand dollars, and you ordered several of them in a single night.

I was only asking to borrow three thousand dollars.

Borrow, not take.

I had cried with you, fought with you, and laughed with you.

I had given you every one of my firsts.

I had even given up our child for you.

And still, you rejected me without the slightest hesitation.

Couldn’t you have hesitated for even two seconds?

Silence filled the room.

I nodded.

“Okay. I understand.”

Ethan walked over and asked what I planned to do.

“It’s fine,” I said. “I can apply for more short-term loans.”

My finances had never been good, so I had always been extremely cautious with lending apps and avoided buying anything on credit unless absolutely necessary.

Because of that, the credit limits they offered me were not very high.

But it did not matter.

If I applied through enough apps and pieced together everything I could, I might eventually come up with the three thousand dollars.

I sat down and went through one app after another, submitting identity checks and calculating how

much I could gather.

Ethan silently made me a bowl of instant noodles.

He had always been terrible at cooking and, in the beginning, could not even handle basic kitchen

prep.

Whenever he peeled an apple, he would cut away half the fruit with the skin.

I had never complained because some people simply were not good at housework, and I had always thought that was normal.

I knew how to do it, so I did more, believing that when two people were together, they helped each

other without keeping score.

“Will you be able to get enough?” Ethan asked quietly. “If you’re still short, maybe I can ask some

of my friends.”

I looked up at him.

Right in front of me, he began making calls.

Every call was on speaker, and every call ended in rejection.

Most of the time, the moment he said, “Could you lend me some money?” the person on the other

end either hung up immediately or claimed they were struggling financially too.

“Forget it, Ethan. I’m tired.”

I did not have the energy to keep watching him put on this performance for me.

Ethan stared at me, his lips parting before closing again.

By the time I returned to the bowl of instant noodles, they had gone cold and mushy.

I did not throw them away.

I added some hot water, stirred them, and ate every bite.

When you were poor, dignity was a luxury you could not afford.

I could not bear to waste food.