I gave a weak smile. “Tell me about it.”
“I’m sorry you have to deal with that, Savannah. Just forget about her,” said Priscilla, one of the other girls. The rest chimed in their agreement.
“Yeah. I’ll try. Thanks, guys, for standing up for me.”
But forgetting about Madison was easier said than done, especially when she—and her “helpful gifts”—kept showing up at the worst moments.
Even as the mood lightened again and the happy party energy resumed, my mind was racing.She’s going to go home and tell Max that I’m out partying and putting the baby in danger. What if he believes her?
The band launched into their first song of the second set—it was one of Ellie’s and my favorites from back in our college days. Ellie stood up and grabbed my hand. “Come on, Savvy—let’s dance!”
I smiled at her and followed her onto the dance floor.
I tried to salvage the rest of my night with more dancing and many more tasty mocktails. My friends all did their best to help cheer me up.
Ellie ended up coming home with me, crashing in my bed the second we set foot in the apartment.
As I was finishing up brushing my teeth a few minutes later, my phone dinged. It was a text from an unknown number.
You don’t deserve that baby.
A chill spread throughout my body, leaving me lightheaded. A second text quickly followed.
I guess someone needs to teach you a lesson.
CHAPTER8
“IT WAS DEFINITELYnot me,” I argued, “especially if the purchase was made at three in the afternoon on a Tuesday. I was at work.I can get coworkers to vouch for me if it will help.”
This was not the way I wanted to start my Sunday morning—arguing with my credit card company about the fraudulent charges.
Ellie emerged from the bedroom, rubbing her eyes. “What’s going on?” I’d woken her up.
I walked over to the couch where my laptop sat open and turned it around to face her. I saw the shock on Ellie’s face as she read the email I’d discovered in my inbox that morning.
The email informed me that my disputes of the fraudulent charges on my card were being denied due to a security camera photo they’d received from a liquor store in the city called Sid’s Spirits, where one of the largest charges had been made.
The photo showed a woman with shoulder-length brown hair, wearing black ballet flats and a stretchy knit dress with a cardigan. The cardigan was open, revealing a slight baby bump. The woman was standing at the store’s checkout counter as an employee rang up her gigantic liquor purchase.
Due to the so-called photographic evidence of the purchase, the store’s management had filed their own dispute against my claim of fraud.
“I’m four months pregnant,” I shouted into the phone. “Do you really think I would be buying that much booze—booze that I can’t drink?”
“Ma’am, as I explained, you will be given the opportunity to …” I tuned the rest out. We’d been going back and forth in pointless circles anyway.
I was too angry to continue the conversation. “Fine. Thank you.” I hung up the call and turned to Ellie with a stricken look.
“Where did that photo come from?” Ellie asked.
“Who the hell knows? This is the first time I’m seeing it too,” I said, burying my face in my hands.
Of course, my brain immediately went to Madison. But the woman in the picture was clearly not Madison—her build was all wrong. “How is this even possible, Ellie? A woman that looks exactly like me, who’s also pregnant, makes a purchase like that with my credit card? Someone is obviously trying to make it look like it was me, right?”
“This is absolutely nuts,” Ellie agreed, shaking her head.
“What am I going to do if I get stuck with all these charges? Eight thousand dollars. I don’t have that kind of money. I’m supposed to be saving up for the baby!”
Ellie pulled me into a half-hug. My heart was beating way too fast.Stress isn’t good for the baby, I thought.But how am I supposed to becalmabout this?
