He Terminated My Lease So I Terminated Our Wedding Chapter 02
After the landlord’s email, Owen didn’t apologize.
He just tossed out, “We’ll talk when you’ve calmed down,” and left with Cass and the pile of boxes.
For the next few days, neither of us brought up the move.
Then, the day before we were supposed to close on the house, the loan officer called.
“Ms. Hart, have you moved any money out of your joint account recently?”
I was holding a mug of coffee. My stomach dropped.
“No. What happened?”
“We attempted to wire the down payment this morning, but the transfer failed due to insufficient funds. Because the account balance no longer matches the proof of funds you submitted, the loan approval has been suspended, effective immediately.”
Coffee sloshed over the rim, scalding the back of my hand.
I barely felt it.
“What do you mean, insufficient funds? The money was there yesterday when we confirmed everything.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line.
“Right now, the account is more than seventy thousand dollars short of the required down payment. You need to contact your bank immediately. If the funds aren’t restored before closing tomorrow, the sale can’t go through.”
“What about my earnest money?”
“The seller could declare you in breach of contract. You’d lose your earnest money, and they might even go after the personal funds you submitted as a co-guarantor. I strongly recommend you contact an attorney.”
After the call ended, I stood frozen for a few seconds, then set down the mug and logged into my bank account.
The moment the page loaded, my hands started to shake.
There was only $3,826 left in our joint account.
At 11:47 p.m. last night, a transfer of $74,000 had been moved from the joint account into Owen’s personal account.
That account hadn’t just held the money we’d saved together for the house.
It held my own savings, scraped together little by little since I was twenty-two.
After I aged out of foster care, I’d worked three jobs at once. I’d lived in a leaking basement apartment. I’d been too scared to even get sick. That was how I’d saved that money.
I screenshotted every transaction, then opened Discord.
Pinned to the top of the “Lila Line” channel was a new bet from last night.
$500 says she won’t realize the money’s gone until the day of closing. — Owen Mercer
Below it was a laughing-with-hand-over-mouth emoji from Cass.
I stared at the screen, a loud buzzing filling my ears.
They knew exactly what was going to happen today.
They had deliberately moved the money the night before closing just to bet on when I would find out.
I called Owen.
He didn’t pick up until the third ring.
“Lila, I’m busy.”
I could hear Cass laughing in the background.
I grabbed my car keys.
“Stay right there. I’m coming over.”
Twenty minutes later, I shoved open the door to Owen’s apartment.
Cass was sitting cross-legged on the couch, the wedding seating chart spread across her lap. Owen stood at the kitchen island, pouring her a glass of wine.
They looked completely unconcerned.
I slapped my phone down on the island.
“Transfer the money back.”
Owen glanced at the screen, not the slightest bit surprised.
“So you found out.”
And just like that, the last of my denial was gone.
“Seventy-four thousand dollars.” My voice was shaking. “You moved it into your personal account last night.”
Cass set down the seating chart.
“It was a temporary transfer. Do you really have to be so dramatic?”
“Closing is tomorrow!”
I couldn’t keep my voice down. My whole body was trembling.
“The bank suspended the loan. We’re going to lose the house, the seller can sue us for breach of contract, and I could lose the personal savings I put up as a guarantee!”
Some of the smile faded from Cass’s face.
“How was I supposed to know it was that serious? Owen just said we’d move the money for a day and see how long it took you to notice.”
“So you knew.”
She sat up straight.
“I knew about the bet. I’m not the one who transferred the money. Don’t pin this all on me.”
I looked at Owen.
“Transfer it back. Now.”
“Fine, I’ll do it.”
He picked up his phone, his tone as casual as if he were paying a forgotten bill.
“I was never going to keep it. The money’s been sitting in my account the whole time. It’s not gone. I’ll transfer it back, and we’ll be done with this.”
“The loan has already been suspended.”
“Then the loan officer can approve it again.”
“And if there isn’t enough time tomorrow?”
“Then we delay closing.” He frowned. “Lila, it’s just a house. Is it really more important than our wedding?”
I looked at him, at the stranger standing in front of me.
That was money I had never touched, no matter how hard things got. It was the only security I had.
And to him, it was just a prop for a bet.
“You used my life savings to gamble on whether I’d notice, and you still think I’m the one overreacting?”
Cass’s eyes suddenly filled with tears.
“Can you stop looking at me like that?”
Her voice trembled, and tears spilled instantly.
“I really didn’t know it would affect the loan. You’re staring at me like I’m trying to ruin your life on purpose. I told you, I’m not the one who moved the money. What else do you want from me?”
Owen moved at once, stepping between us and shielding her with his body.
The motion was far too practiced.
“Enough, Lila.”
“She was part of the bet.”
“She already told you she didn’t know what the consequences would be.”
Owen’s expression darkened.
“And I already said I’d transfer the money back. But you storm in here, interrogating us like criminals. Cass is your family. Do you really need to make her cry over money?”
Over money.
He had moved my life savings, sabotaged our closing, and now he was accusing me of bullying family over money.
Cass sniffled behind him.
“I’ve helped you so many times. I don’t know why you suddenly can’t take a joke.”
I didn’t explain again.
I didn’t ask who had won the five hundred dollars, either.
The panic drained out of me, leaving only a cold numbness behind.
I put away my phone, backed up the bank records and the Discord page, then picked up my car keys from the table.
When Owen saw I was leaving, his voice turned sharp.
“So now you’re running away from the problem? Closing is tomorrow, and the wedding is in three weeks. You throw a tantrum, and I’m still the one who has to clean up the mess.”
At the door, I turned back to look at them.
Cass was tucked against his chest, her eyes red and wet.
Owen was protecting her, as if they were the ones who had been hurt.
I tightened my grip on the keys and said, one word at a time,
“As of now, the wedding is on hold.”