He Took Her to Europe With My Money Chapter 05

He Took Her to Europe With My Money Chapter 05

I had been at Linden University for a week.

I sat beside the library window, reviewing the pathology papers my advisor had sent me.

My phone lit up.

It was a Crestwood number I had not saved.

Darien Hearst.

I answered.

His voice came through sharp with anger.

“Camille Wallace, you’ve got some nerve.”

“HR gave me the new employee list today, and your name wasn’t on it.”

“I had your desk moved right outside my office. I even arranged for you to skip those morning meetings you hate.”

“And now you’re disappearing on me?”

My hand did not stop moving.

The highlighter slid across the page, leaving a clean yellow line.

“Darien, I’m not coming to work at your family’s company.”

There were two seconds of silence.

Then he laughed coldly.

—

“The two-month thing with Leona was just a dare. It wasn’t real. The game is over.”

“She moved out of my place two days ago. She understood that none of it meant anything.”

“We’re done.”

I interrupted him.

“Right now, I have one request. Pay back the twelve thousand dollars you took from me.”

Darien clicked his tongue.

“Camille, have you lost your mind?”

“I’m offering you an assistant position that pays five thousand dollars a month. You could earn that money back in a few months.”

“Without me, you can’t even get through a job interview without freezing up. Who else is going to hire you?”

I turned on the voice recorder.

“So you’re admitting that you used my card. Is that correct?”

My calm tone infuriated him.

“Yes, I used it. So what?”

“Since when do I need permission to spend my girlfriend’s money?”

“Get back here and start working. I’ll pay you twice as much.”

Leona’s voice came from the background.

—

“Darien, I left a file in your car. Can you get it for me?”

Had he not just said that she moved out two days ago?

He did not even bother hiding the lie.

Darien covered the receiver and muttered, “It’s in the glove compartment. Get it yourself.”

Then he returned to the call, more impatient than before.

“Did you hear me? Book a flight and show up for work.”

“I have a lunch meeting this afternoon. I don’t have time to keep reassuring you.”

I watched the recording timer, then pressed stop.

“The twelve thousand dollars must be back in my account by noon tomorrow.”

“If you’re one minute late, I’ll report the unauthorized charges and take legal action.”

—

Darien laughed again, but this time it sounded tighter.

“You’re bluffing. You don’t have the backbone for that.”

“Try me,” I said.

I hung up before he could respond.

My hands were steady. I set the phone down and picked up my highlighter again.

Five minutes later, a text came through.

Darien: [Fine. I’ll wire the money. But this isn’t over.]

I didn’t reply. I simply blocked the number and turned back to my papers.

The library was quiet. Sunlight slanted through the window, warming the pages.

For the first time in months, I felt like I could breathe.

The next morning, I checked my account. The full twelve thousand was there.

I transferred it to my savings and closed the card he’d had access to.

Then I opened a new tab and started looking at apartments near campus.

Somewhere small. Somewhere quiet. Somewhere he would never think to look.

I had spent three years letting Darien Hearst dictate my life. Letting him make me small. Letting him convince me I couldn’t survive without him.

But I had survived.

And I was just getting started.