While I Burned with Fever in the ER, He Was at the Game with His Little Sister Chapter 06

While I Burned with Fever in the ER, He Was at the Game with His Little Sister Chapter 06

I knew it would not be an ordinary family lunch. 

But there were financial matters and questions of responsibility that needed to be settled face–to–face. 

The next morning, I took a bag of specialty coffee beans and a box of imported chocolates and 

drove to the Walkers‘ townhouse in the suburbs of Bellevue. 

It was not because I still felt attached to them. It 

was simply one final act of courtesy. 

They had treated me well once. 

Richard opened the door. 

A deliberately warm smile was plastered across his face, and he even patted my shoulder as he accepted the gifts. 

“We’re just glad you came. You didn’t need to bring anything.” 

“Come inside. It’s hot out, and we have the air 

conditioning on.” 

I hung my coat by the door and walked into the 

living room. 

The television was on, but no one was watching it. 

Then I heard laughter and conversation coming 

from the guest room. 

A woman’s exaggerated giggles mingled with a 

man’s lowered voice. Even through the closed 

door, the intimacy between them was obvious. 

Richard’s expression darkened slightly. 

He cleared his throat, visibly embarrassed. 

“Don’t take it the wrong way, Erin.” 

“They grew up together. They’ve always been very close.” 

He hurried to the guest room and knocked twice on the wall. 

“Ethan, Erin is here.” 

The laughter inside stopped. 

A few seconds later, Ethan walked out in lounge clothes, the smile from their playful conversation 

still lingering on his face. 

Sophia followed behind him. 

She was wearing a pale pink spaghetti–strap 

dress, her blonde hair falling over her shoulders. 

The moment she saw me, she dramatically 

covered her mouth. 

“Wow. Erin actually showed up.” 

“I thought she’d come with a lawyer. How scary.” 

Ethan glanced at me. He did not look remotely worried that I might actually go through with 

calling off the wedding. 

He believed that now we were in his parents‘ home, with them firmly on his side, I would 

eventually give in. 

Every time we had fought in the past, the moment 

the Walkers stepped in, I had always been the one 

to apologize and compromise first. 

He probably assumed this time would end the 

same way. 

I smiled without saying anything. 

“Come on, Erin. Sit down and let’s talk.” 

Richard poured me a cup of coffee himself, his 

smile exceptionally warm. 

“Margaret is still making lunch in the kitchen. It will 

be ready soon.” 

He lifted his own cup and took a sip before continuing, “Margaret and I went back to look at 

the wedding venue a few days ago.” 

“The hotel ballroom really is in a great location, 

and the parking is convenient.” 

“We could reserve the tables by the windows for…” 

I cut him off. 

“Richard, the wedding has been canceled.” 

He froze with the coffee cup halfway to his mouth. 

The living room fell silent for two seconds. 

Margaret came out of the kitchen carrying a tray 

of roasted vegetables, her voice full of reproach. 

“Erin, why are you still insisting on this impulsive 

decision?” 

“This is not something you can joke about.” 

She set the tray on the dining table, then stood in 

front of me and spoke in a scolding tone. 

“You and Ethan have been together for more than 

three years.” 

“You’re engaged, you bought an apartment, and 

nearly everything for the wedding has already 

been arranged. You can’t simply cancel it on a 

whim.” 

“What will our relatives, friends, and business 

associates think of the Walker family when they 

hear about this?” 

When I did not respond, she sat across from me 

and switched to a patronizing, parental tone. 

“I know you feel hurt.” 

“We took care of everything for Ethan growing up, so he never really learned how to look after other 

people. And he’s always been outgoing.” 

“It was just a fever. So what if you had to go to the ER by yourself?” 

She sighed. 

“He watched one game with a girl he sees as a 

sister. It’s not as if he slept with another woman.” 

“Are you really going to cancel the wedding over 

that?” 

Richard nodded beside her in agreement. 

“Exactly, Erin.” 

“If we’re going to become a family, you need to 

learn how to be more understanding.” 

I lifted my coffee and took a sip. 

It was still hot, but I no longer expected them to 

understand me. 

“Richard. Margaret.” 

I set down the cup, removed a list from my 

document folder, unfolded it, and laid it flat on the 

coffee table. 

A specific amount and transfer date were 

recorded beside every item. 

“I put together an itemized record of my expenses 

before coming here.” 

Richard froze and lowered his eyes to the paper. 

“The down payment on the apartment was one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. I paid it.” 

“The renovations and furniture cost forty–five thousand dollars. I paid for those too.” 

“The wedding venue deposit, wedding photography, and planner fees came to eighteen thousand three hundred dollars. I paid all of that 

as well.” 

“On top of that, I transferred fifty thousand dollars 

into the wedding account you designated.” 

I read each amount aloud, my voice steady from 

beginning to end. 

“I was originally willing to recover only half of that 

fifty thousand dollars.” 

“The remaining twenty–five thousand was the last 

loss I was willing to accept from this three–year 

relationship.” 

Ethan stood in the doorway of the guest room, his 

face gradually turning pale. 

Sophia leaned against the doorframe, still wearing a smirk as she waited for me to humiliate myself. 

“What did you just say?” 

Margaret shrieked. 

I pushed the list toward the center of the coffee 

table. 

“You can verify every amount against the bank 

records.” 

“Once we’ve confirmed that the figures are correct, 

then we can discuss all the feelings, time, and 

effort you keep talking about.”