Wealth of hearts

Chapter 4

Chloe

The call came just after sunrise.

I was tying my shoes when my phone rang, the screen lighting up with a number I recognized too well, the school office. My chest tightened before I even answered.

“Hello?”

“Good morning, Miss Chloe,” the woman said politely. “This is a reminder that Daniel’s outstanding balance needs to be cleared by the end of the week. Otherwise, he won’t be allowed to resume classes.”

The words landed softly, but they crushed me all the same.

“I understand,” I said, voice steady despite the storm inside me. “I’ll handle it.”

When the call ended, I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at my hands. End of the week. Three days. Fourteen dollars in my account.

I didn’t tell Daniel.

I watched him eat breakfast, watched him joke about a test he was nervous about, watched him believe in a future I was struggling to protect. Guilt wrapped itself around my ribs.

“I have somewhere to be today,” I told him. “I’ll be back late.”

He smiled. “Good luck.”

I needed more than luck.

By midday, I was walking into places I had sworn I’d never step into offices I didn’t qualify for, buildings that smelled like money and certainty. Each rejection chipped away at me until my hope felt thin and sharp.

It was on my way out of the last building that I saw him again.

Adam stood across the street, phone pressed to his ear, brows drawn together like he was arguing with someone who couldn’t see his point. He looked different today more less calm, more real.

I should’ve kept walking.

Instead, I froze.

He turned, and our eyes met.

For a second, the noise of the city faded.

“Chloe,” he said, ending the call abruptly. “I was hoping I’d see you.”

My heart betrayed me by fluttering. “You were?”

“I’ve been thinking about you,” he admitted, without hesitation.

I laughed weakly. “That makes one of us.”

He studied my face, his gaze softening. “You don’t look okay.”

“I’m fine,” I said quickly.

He didn’t believe me.

“Coffee?” he asked. “Just coffee.”

I wanted to say no. I needed to say no.

But my legs followed him anyway.

Inside the café, the warmth and quiet felt unreal. Adam ordered for both of us without asking, and I didn’t stop him. For once, I let someone take the lead.

“You don’t have to do this,” I said when the drinks arrived.

“I know,” he replied. “I want to.”

Something about that made my throat ache.

I stared into my cup. “I can’t afford help.”

Adam leaned forward. “I’m not offering charity, Chloe. I’m offering company.”

I looked up at him then, really looked.

And for the first time in a long time, I wondered what it would feel like to stop fighting alone.