Trust Me by Melanie Craft

in the arrangement and wait until—Max,
     good grief! What’s wrong?”
    He had recoiled sharply. “Stay in the
arrangement
?” he repeated.
    “Well, yes. I had to.”
    “And wait until when?”
    “Until I can get my money. It’s a long story.”
    “Really,” said Max, with a sudden chill in his voice. “It sounds very simple to me. Let me see if I understand you. You fell
     out of love and wanted to leave, but instead you decided to wait around for the big payoff?”
    “I suppose you could put it like that,” Carly said slowly. “But it wasn’t much of a decision—I mean, I had to stay. If I’d
     quit, I would have lost everything I’d invested up to that point.”
    She looked curiously at Max. There seemed to be something wrong with him. He looked almost ill. “It would have been foolish
     to leave,” she explained, “just because my feelings had changed.”
    “Foolish,” Max repeated.
    “Well, yes. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but I knew it would only be for a few more years. It hasn’t been that bad, really.
     He can be unpleasant, but I’ve learned how to handle him.”
    Max’s face darkened like a thundercloud. “I see,” he said, staring stonily through the windshield.
    Carly couldn’t understand why he was suddenly so angry. She felt a flicker of guilt; was she being unfair to Richard? From
     the way that Max was scowling, she thought that she must have said something wrong. Maybe she did sound unkind. “He is a brilliant
     man,” she amended. “That was what first attracted me to him. And I suppose I do owe him a lot…”
    “Yes,” Max growled. “You sure do.”
    So that was it. This was some kind of guy thing, with men defending their own. She felt rising annoyance. “Hold on,” she said.
     “I think I deserve more credit than that. He would have had a really difficult time finding another partner who was willing
     to do the kinds of things that I—”
    “My God!” Max exclaimed violently. The car swerved, and Carly braced herself, alarmed, as he quickly brought it back under
     control. “This is unbelievable. Please, spare me the details. I really don’t want to know.”
    Carly stared at him. “Okay, I’m sorry.”
    “So am I,” he said grimly.
    They drove in silence, until Carly couldn’t stand it any longer. “I just wanted you to hear my side of the story,” she said.
     “I don’t understand why you’re so upset.”
    “I’m not upset.”
    “Something is obviously bothering you.”
    His fingers were tight on the steering wheel. “Look,” he said finally. “I have no idea why you’re suddenly being so candid
     with me, but I’ll return the favor. You caught me by surprise. I had started to think that you were a different kind of person.”
    “Oh,” Carly said, confused. “Well, I guess I’m just me.”
    “You should have stuck with your earlier approach. I would have been much more generous if you had convinced me that you loved
     him. But now—for some unfathomable reason—you’re telling me that you don’t, and that you’ve been willing to sell years of
     your life to a man that you find
unpleasant.
”
    “What else was I supposed to do?” Carly demanded. “I thought about walking away, but I couldn’t. I can’t. Maybe you don’t
     understand what it’s like to worry about money, but I’m still paying off student loans. And then there’s rent, and insurance,
     and car repairs, and… and utility bills, and by the time I take care of everything, I’m happy just to be able to feed myself!
     That money is the only security I have. It belongs to me. I earned it.”
    “That’s one way to look at it,” Max said. “But I’ll give you some advice, Carly. You might think that the money is worth it,
     but it isn’t. And telling me all of this was a very big mistake.”
    “Oh,” Carly said hotly. “That is so unfair. You have no right to judge me for being practical. I’ve had no choice. Not until
     now, with Henry’s