Chapter 1

The day I finally saved enough for a house down payment, my sister fell to her knees, begging me.

"Please, if you don't help me pay off this twenty grand, I'll kill myself!"

She sobbed hysterically, swearing she would never touch gambling again.

In a moment of weakness, I emptied out my entire life savings and cleared her debt.

Yet barely a month later, loan sharks showed up at my doorstep, demanding another thirty grand.

My boss fired me on the spot without letting me explain.

My landlord kicked me out into the street that very night, claiming my ruined credit made me a liability.

With nowhere left to go, I went to find my sister.

Instead, I found her carrying a designer purse, laughing as she told her friends:

"Thirty grand? Who cares? Once I shed a couple of tears, she'll pay it all over again."

Chloe's voice hit me like a dull blade twisting in my chest.

The dorm door was cracked open. My hand froze on the doorknob as the blood drained from my face, turning me into stone right there in the hallway.

The laughter from inside didn't stop.

"Chloe, your sister is seriously the best. She dropped twenty grand on you last time without batting an eye."

"That's just because she's an idiot." Chloe giggled, her tone light and breezy, as if talking about a complete stranger.

"Ever since we were kids, whenever I cried, she folded. She just loves playing the martyr. She has to act like the saintly big sister."

Loud laughter drifted through the door, piercing my ears.

I took a step back, my shoulder hitting the cold corridor wall. The chill snapped me back to reality.

This wasn't a nightmare. It was real.

A month ago, Chloe had dropped to her knees in front of me, her hair messy and her eyes bloodshot.

"I owe money! Please, if you don't help me, I'm going to jump off the bridge! I'll end it all!"

She had wept so hard she choked, clinging to my legs, slamming her forehead against the floorboards.

I had just gotten off a brutal overtime shift. I had walked half the city just to bring her favorite takeout to my apartment.

Twenty thousand dollars.

Every single cent I had saved over years of grueling work.

I had hesitated. Just for a second.

Then I looked at her face. I remembered the year our parents died in a car crash. She was only eight, clutching my arm, crying, "Did Mom and Dad abandon us?" I could never forget that terror in her eyes.

"I swear, I'll never gamble again! If I do, struck me down where I stand!"

I believed her.

I transferred every dollar I had, even borrowed two grand from a coworker just to round it out, clearing all her debts.

After that, she posted on Ins for an entire week. Captions like Best sister ever and Blessed with the world's greatest sister, paired with pictures of the meals I cooked for her.

I really thought she had changed.

Yet less than a month later, a collection agency called my office.

"Is this Avery Campbell? Your sister Chloe Campbell owes our agency thirty thousand dollars. You're listed as her cosigner. If you don't pay up, we will take legal action."

I froze.

"That's impossible. Her debts are cleared."

The man on the other end let out a mocking laugh.

"Cleared? She took out another thirty grand with us last month and hasn't paid back a cent. As the cosigner, you are legally liable."

Cosigner?

I never signed a single paper.

When I pulled up my credit report, my stomach dropped.

There was my name, right at the top.

My sister had taken my Social Security number, forged my signature, and taken out a high-interest loan under my name.

I called Chloe like a madwoman.

Straight to voicemail.

I took time off work and went straight to her campus. Her dormmates told me she hadn't slept there in a week.

"Chloe's been loaded lately, though. She bought new designer bags, expensive sneakers, and treated everyone to lavish dinners."

That was when the truth hit me. Those twenty thousand dollars never went toward any debt.

She blew it all on luxury.