The Wedding Day Abandonment

, Chloe's mo

ailing Chloe out of some mess or criticizing her every move

urprisingly sweet. "I was so sorry t

ng. That's wha

sunderstanding,

terrible mistake, but she loves you ve

yed s

t was a lot, I know, but he was desperate. Chloe h

ng, as

, Ethan. She wants to talk to y

to say, Mrs. Davison.

ive years is a long time

than others," I said, th

ow sorry she was, how Damien was a lost soul, how she was

d, her parents' unrealistic expectation

. It was the same script she'd used for years,

ed her

on an apartment a year ago. We'd put down a hefty security de

r signature to break the lease or transfer it fully to h

reeing to meet

already inside, packing so

or coming

loe." I handed her the lease termi

ed. "Ethan, about the money..

don't have it? You to

pensive than we thought. An

ed, my voice flat. I wasn

said, looking up at me, her eyes pl

o provide it? With

ecurity deposit from this place. When we

ne. And it won't cover t

't know what to do, Ethan!

ponsibility, Chloe. Not by fi

led with memories, mostly good ones. Or s

of it. If you can't pay it now, we'll draw

p. "A loan? Ethan,

savings," I reminded her, my voice hard.

lease forms, he

, "There's so

ait

From a fling he had a while ago. The m

reeled.

pers, for food, for daycare so he can try to find work." Her eyes were

. It was a new, unexpecte

middle of it, ready to sa

porting him and

She doesn't deserve to suffer be

ght I knew. She was completely lost,

y signed copies of the lease forms. "But m

r the twenty thousand dollars, wi

me, her face a mixture o

, she s

chment. It was like watching a train wreck in s

by a cold, hard anger and a

n's problem n