In front of a jade-inlaid bed priced at twenty-two thousand dollars, the two of them lay down side by side, holding hands, dreaming aloud about the wonderful future ahead of them.
The moment they went to pay again, I called Sonia.
"Hey, babe. Where are you?"
"The bank just sent me an alert. There's been a huge charge on the card."
Across the store, I saw Sonia's expression flicker with panic. She straightened her spine a second later.
"Mom needed money urgently. Uncle Rick had a sudden heart attack and needs treatment."
"You know how good he's always been to me since I was little. He's the only family Mom has left. We can't just let him die, can we?"
I let out a quiet scoff, watching Lucas flash her a thumbs-up from a few feet away.
Sonia shot him a smug glance, then let her voice shift to something sharp and indignant.
"Noel, what's that supposed to mean? You said the card was mine to use, and now you're monitoring me?"
"I spend a little money on Uncle Rick's medical bills and suddenly you have a problem with that?"
The last thread of hope in me snapped clean. My voice went flat. Calm.
"No. You're right. Paying for his treatment is the right thing to do."