chapter 4

Oh, Chloe wanted to make me look bad right to my face? She thought she was the only one who could play victim?

I secretly pinched my thigh hard. Tears immediately welled up in my eyes, and I forced a bitter smile.

"The base elementary school was looking for teachers, and I met all the requirements. The higher-ups hired me on the spot. But then Damien said Mrs. Spencer's family was struggling and asked me to give her my job.

"I thought about it and realized he had a point. So I suggested Mrs. Spencer pay me three thousand dollars for the position. That way, nobody could say she was taking advantage of her war widow status to steal from me. Otherwise, who would want to be friends with her later?"

Megan looked thoughtful. Chloe looked hurt.

I sighed and started talking about my own problems, "I really didn't want to take that money, but I'm pregnant now. Damien sends part of his pay back home to his family, and we'll have a baby to support soon.

"Diapers, formula, everything costs money. That's the whole reason I applied for the teaching job in the first place."

Megan shot Chloe a disapproving look. "Chloe, you need to tell the whole story next time. You almost made me think badly of Scarlett for no reason.

"Chloe, you need to be clearer next time, or I might end up blaming Scarlett for nothing. She's absolutely right—it's her job. If she wants to share, cool. If not, that's her call.

"Since she's being so gracious about letting you have it, you can't just take it for free. How about this? You pay two thousand dollars, and the organization will cover the other thousand."

Chloe's smile looked completely frozen on her face. Her plan to get something for nothing had backfired, and now she was out two thousand bucks.

She forced herself to say, "You're right, Megan. I'll definitely get Scarlett the money in a couple days."

Her misery made me happy. I put on my biggest, brightest smile and offered some helpful advice.

"Mrs. Spencer, I know you didn't get picked during the interview because you weren't quite qualified, but hard work pays off. If you study and practice enough, you'll definitely improve.

"These kids are the future of our country, so make sure you teach them well. Don't let down the organization, the parents, or the students who are counting on you!"

When I straight-up told Chloe she wasn't good enough, her fake smile almost cracked completely.

"Thanks for the reminder. I'll make sure to prepare properly. Since this is your first pregnancy and you don't have experience, you should just stay home and take care of yourself, Scarlett."

Two weeks later, the school finally finished getting ready and was about to open.

I grabbed some fabric and thread, planning to go upstairs and ask Megan to teach me how to sew clothes.

Damien walked through the door carrying a child. It was Chloe's son, Zach Spencer.

I took one look at them and pretended they didn't exist. I gathered my things and headed for the door.

As I walked past Damien, he grabbed my arm.

I looked at him in shock.

Damien put the kid down and hesitated, choosing his words carefully before he finally spoke, "Chloe has to teach her classes, and there's nobody to watch the kid. Could you help babysit?"

So it wasn't enough for Damien to wait on Chloe hand and foot. Now he wanted to drag me into it too?

I let out a small huff and rolled my eyes right in front of him. "First of all, Chloe and I aren't close enough friends for me to babysit her kid.

"Second, kids this age are a handful. What if he drinks some water and gets sick, or trips and hurts himself? Chloe would probably think I had a problem with her and did it on purpose. Which, to be fair, I do have a problem with her.

"So no. I'm not doing it. This is your problem to solve."

While Damien stood there looking annoyed, I grabbed my things and walked out.

I couldn't stop Damien from bending over backwards for Chloe. If he wanted to babysit her kid, that was his choice.

I spent the whole morning at Megan's house sewing clothes. When lunchtime came around, I headed home to cook.

I figured nobody would be there, and I could finally have some peace and quiet.

But when I opened the door, what I saw completely shocked me.