Elizabeth took a slow sip of the warm shrimp soup. Her gaze remained cool and detached. "Who was that man from yesterday?"

She pretended not to care, but information was necessary. She couldn't risk facing such situations every single night.

Clara struggled to compose herself, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "He's my husband."

Elizabeth gave her a measured look, prompting Clara to continue. "After I left the Levines' employment, my options were limited. Being a single mother, I had to settle for what I could get. I married him thinking he was a decent man."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow slightly. A decent man? "He used to be a farmer. I believed he was kind to me and Cora. He didn't seem to mind that I already had a child..."

Clara paused, collecting her thoughts before speaking again.

"I told him about my savings. His attitude changed completely after that. He kept persuading me to give him the money. He wanted to start a business here in Crestwood. He seemed so determined, so I didn't stop him. But he wasn't cut out for business. Soon, all our money was gone. Our house was taken as collateral. To make matters worse, he became addicted to drugs."

Tears streamed down Clara's face as she spoke.

"The drugs made his temper worse. He would abuse me whenever he needed money. After his business failed, I went back to working as a maid. But he would take all my earnings. I lost my job because he showed up at my employer's house demanding money. Now I can only find work at construction sites..."

"Why didn't you divorce him?" Elizabeth's question was direct.

"I tried. He always refused. He would beat me and threaten to kill me and Cora if I went through with it. I didn't dare test his limits. I tried running away with Cora several times. But he always found us. The beatings got worse each time. I'm too scared to challenge him now."

"Couldn't you call the police?"

"We did. He's been arrested before. But he only becomes more violent after being released. What good does it do? It only gives us a brief respite of a couple years."

"Haven't you considered leaving Crestwood? Going somewhere he could never find you?"

"I've lived in Crestwood my whole life. I wouldn't know how to survive anywhere else. I'm not well educated. And Cora wants to stay in Crestwood to pursue her career..."

The more Clara spoke, the more miserable she appeared. Her tears seemed endless.

Elizabeth bit her lip, remaining silent.

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth, but you need to leave. If he doesn't get his money tonight, he'll come after you."

Clara cried anxiously and handed Elizabeth a crumpled hundred-dollar bill.

"This is all I have. Take it. Go to your friends, or maybe—"

"I don't have any friends."

Elizabeth stared at the wrinkled currency.

"I have nothing because you changed my life for your own selfish reasons."

"Elizabeth..."

"I'll figure out a way to get the money."

Elizabeth put down her bowl. Her appetite had vanished. She returned to her bedroom and finally powered on her phone. She logged into all her banking apps, credit card accounts, and every payment platform she could access.

She had assumed Nancy would only freeze her main assets. She thought there might be some money left in her accounts.

That wasn't the case. Nancy had taken every last cent, even from her digital wallets. Nancy truly wanted Elizabeth dead. The pain Elizabeth felt wasn't about being broke. It was about how emotional bonds could be severed in an instant.

Did Nancy really feel nothing for her at all? Tears welled in Elizabeth's eyes as she clutched her phone.

Forty thousand dollars used to mean nothing to her. Now, it was the final burden that might break her—quite literally.