“Come on, Daniella. This isn’t you. Be reasonable. We can work things out.”
“Seriously? Because I think after finding out you stole money from me, are bisexual and cheating on me, and then had the audacity to call me a frigid cunt last night, that reconciling is the last thing on my mind.”
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t myself. And Shane putting his hands on you. What the hell was that about?”
It was reckless, freeing, and completely without regret. “It was about finding one more reason never to see you again. In two minutes he gave me what you’ve never been able to. Now listen up. You owe me seventy-five thousand dollars. I want it, or I go to the authorities and things get messy.”
“That’s blackmail.”
“No, that’s giving you a chance before you lose your job over me filing embezzlement charges. Blackmail would be if I threatened to show those pictures of you taking it up the ass by the blond-haired fellow to everyone we know, including your boss.”
My implication held heavy on the line until he finally spoke.
“I— Shit. Okay. I can only get you half right now. But I promise the other half will be coming.”
“You have two days to wire half and two weeks to come up with the rest.”
“Then will you return the ring? It belonged to my grandmother.”
A reminder to get him to sign a receipt of return because he’d probably hock it and then tell his mother I kept it. “Of course. I want to hold onto it about as much as I want to hold onto our relationship. And if I get tested and find out I have something, the gloves are completely off. I hope you realize that.”
“I’m clean. I swear. I always used condoms. And since we used condoms, too, we should be good.”
“Hope so. Two days, and I want half the money. I’ll text you the account information.”
“I have it already, don’t I?”
I laughed without humor. “As if I wouldn’t have changed my bank accounts after learning you stole from me. Goodbye, Eric.”
I sat there humming with adrenaline but still no tears. Two years gone with that man, and I was more pissed at being duped than upset at losing him.