5

Bruce returned. He looked tired and worried. “Baby, are you feeling better?” “It’s my fault. I couldn’t be by your side when you were sick.” He leaned close to my face, and his suddenly magnified handsome features made me feel sick. I almost reflexively gagged. Bruce’s expression darkened. He gently patted my back: “I’d rather be the one who’s sick than see you suffer.” I wrapped myself in a shawl and coldly hummed in response. He paused, his expression flickering with surprise. “Rose, it's my fault. If I had invested with a friend of mine, I wouldn't have to work now and could stay home with you.” He said it casually. I looked at him in confusion. So what? "Baby, I want to discuss something with you. The stock market is recovering, and it's a good time to make money. "Instead of leaving it in the bank to earn a little interest, why don't you take it out and we can try investing together? “In half a month, we’ll have double the principal—no risk, only profit!” A red flag went up in my mind, and I suddenly understood what he meant when he said, “Wait a little longer” at the ski resort. “Baby, I don’t want to miss this opportunity to make money. “We’ll eventually get married, and money won’t be an issue between us. As long as this project makes money, it’s more important than anything else.” Every time Bruce spoke, my heart grew colder. It turned out he had his eye on my money. Both Bruce and I came from ordinary working-class families—not wealthy, but better than many. However, this year I struck gold, winning three million dollars from a lottery ticket. After taxes, I ended up with over two million dollars. I had originally planned to use this money to buy an apartment and a new car before the wedding. Bruce had repeatedly tried to stop me, saying that housing prices were overvalued now and there was no need to rush to buy. Looking back, he had already made up his mind. “Let's talk about it later.” Bruce was clearly unhappy. He wanted to say something else but eventually held back. If we had to act, I'd act along with him. I was curious to see how he'd continue this charade.