He Scored My Life A 4 And Hers A 10 Chapter 03

He Scored My Life A 4 And Hers A 10 Chapter 03

I stored my luggage and took a cab to the hospital to pick up my mom.

I hadn’t even reached the building when my phone rang, frantic.

“Are you Mrs. Morgan’s family? She’s gone into cardiac arrest and needs emergency surgery. Please get to the billing desk immediately!”

My head went blank.

I rushed inside and tried three different cards.

Every single one came back frozen.

I knew instantly what had happened.

Hands shaking, I called Derek.

“You froze my accounts?”

His voice was calm.

“Yeah.”

“You filed for divorce and moved out. That tells me you’re not stable right now. You’re obviously not in a place to be handling large sums of money.”

“I’m your husband. It’s my job to keep you from doing something reckless.”

I gritted my teeth.

“That money is mine!”

“What’s yours is ours. Don’t twist this.”

The red light above the ER doors burned into my eyes.

There wasn’t enough time to unfreeze anything at the bank.

I gave up fighting and let my voice crack.

“Derek, my mom is in cardiac arrest and needs surgery. I’m begging you, lend me three hundred thousand dollars.”

A cold laugh came through the speaker.

“Lazy lie. Three points.”

Panic surged through me. I screamed into the phone. “Derek, I wouldn’t joke about my mother’s life!”

“Nice emotion. The acting’s improved. Five points. I’ll deal with it after work.”

My legs nearly buckled.

“Derek—”

Before I could say another word, Sloane’s voice drifted through the line.

“Derek, the puppies won’t take their milk. Can you help me?”

I understood everything.

My voice went dry.

“What score is she?”

“Eight.”

“For puppies. You’re giving her an eight for puppies while my mother’s in the ER and you gave me a five?”

Silence stretched for a long moment.

I already knew his answer.

The ER doors burst open.

A nurse shoved a critical condition notice into my hands.

“The patient is in critical condition. If you don’t pay soon, we can’t administer the medication!”

Tears spilling down my face, I fumbled to photograph the signed form and sent it to him.

“I’m not lying, Derek. Please—”

Muffled voices came through the line. Then Derek spoke.

“Sloane was generous and fought for you. She bumped you to a ten. But you lost two points for leaving home, so the scores are tied.”

“To prove I’m not playing favorites, the final decision goes to the group.”

He hung up before I could respond.

Seconds later, I was added to the review group.

At the top, Derek had posted a new question.

[Should I help Sloane with her puppies, or pay for Laurel’s mother’s surgery?]

Within seconds, twenty answers flooded the chat.

Sloane scored perfect tens across the board.

I got nothing but a string of apologies.

[Sweetie, it’s not that I won’t help. But what if this is your mother’s scheme to trick Derek? Giving you a high score wouldn’t be fair to Sloane.]

That was my mother-in-law.

[Laurel, stop competing with Sloane. Your mom was fine this morning. Sloane wouldn’t call Derek unless it was absolutely necessary.]

That was my best friend.

[Laurel…]

One pathetic excuse after another.

The last spark of hope in my chest fizzled out completely.

I typed [You’re all disgusting] and left the group.

I called Derek again. It rang forever before someone picked up.

Sloane’s voice came through, dripping with fake sympathy.

“Hey, Laurel. I’m really sorry about your mom, but Derek says you’re done throwing your little fit. He needs to get to his next thing.”

In the background, I heard running water and Derek’s voice.

“Sloane, can you grab me a robe?”

His next appointment. I didn’t care to know what it was anymore.

The nurse came by one last time to press for payment.

I wiped my tears, took a deep breath, and dialed a number I hadn’t called in years.

“Professor Grant, I need to borrow some money.”

“And in return, I’ll take the five-year research position in Switzerland.”