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But I knew what truly terrified her most wasn't the time spent in prison; it was the loan sharks hot on her trail.
Deluded,she’d thought this was her ticket to riches.
Her lazy nature drove her to sell her luxury goods,sink every penny into the scheme,and,egged on by Nathan,borrow high-interest loans.
With the interest compounding rapidly,crushing debt buried her.
She’d ended up like Jake.
Her old place was seized by creditors,forcing her to hide.
But I wouldn’t let her slip away.
I wrote down the places she usually frequented on her door. As expected, the loan sharks soon caught up with her there.
Later,I heard she returned to her old bar job to pay them off.
But Lily had lost her grip on reality.Instead of focusing on selling drinks,she kept pushing those supplements,scaring customers who thought she had gone mad.
Complaints mounted up,and she was fired from that job,too.
She wandered,deranged,clutching a supplement bottle,begging passersby to buy it.
I visited her once.She was dirty, dressed in rags,sitting under a bridge.
Homeless scavengers called her“Crazy Lady.”
I shook my head,feeling nothing.
I remembered the day before our ill-fated trip, when she had been all polished and glamorous.
Now,she was a mere shadow of her former self.
I felt no pity,no regret.
This second chance at life was mine, and I was determined to make the most of it. Meanwhile, Lily, the one who had set all this chaos in motion, would have rejoiced at Mom's and my misfortune if she could.
I turned away,walking toward the sunlight,leaving her behind.
