I tried again. "Over ten million?"
More silence.
I raised my eyebrows. "Wow, that much, huh?"
He didn't even bother to deny it. He just looked at me like I should've known. With a low scoff, he finally said, "Shit, it's Chicago."
"So?"
"So if you want to live downtown, you're not gonna do it for cheap, not if you don't want bars on your windows."
I swear, he had an answer for everything. And yet, he wasn't giving me any of the answers I needed. And the place in Chicago wasn't the point. It was just a symptom of something bigger. Softly, I said, "So…this bet of yours? Was I part of it, too?"
He blinked. "What? No. Why would you say that?"
"Because it makes sense. I can just see it…you and Ryder having a good laugh at the townie's expense."
He shook his head. "The townie?"
"Yeah.Me.So…was I part of it? Did this friendly wager include putting the moves on a 'stupid' local?"
His breath hitched. "What?"
"You know…someone you could get lucky with, even if you had no money?"
He looked horrified by the suggestion. "What kind of monster do you think I am?"
"I don't know." I gave him a pleading look. "That's the whole point."
His expression hardened. "Is it?"
"Okay, fine. Let's say it's simpler, like you had to find a place to crash without getting caught. Is that it?"
"Hell no."
I couldn't help but scoff. "You'll have to forgive me, but that's a little hard to believe."
"Why?" he demanded. "Because I didn't lay out my history?"
"No. Because you told me things that weren't true."
But this, too, was only part of it. It wasn't only about the facts. It was the way he had let me spill everything about myself while hiding his own history behind half-truths and mistaken assumptions.
To think, I'd let him dive deep into my financials. I'd told him about Devon cheating. I'd opened not only my heart, but my own humble home in ways that seemed incredibly foolish now.
And Griff? When it came to his own history, or lack thereof, he'd milked my emotions like a dairy farmer on a deadline.
I wasn't just angry athim.I was angry at myself. Like a total idiot, I'd bought all of his bullshit, hook, line, and sinker.
His mouth thinned. "So you're pissed that I'm rich?"
My jaw dropped. "Is that what you think?"
"Yeah, well…I couldn't help but notice that you liked me better when I was poor."
Unbelievable."So it's my fault?"
"It's nobody's fault," he said. "And I still don't know why you're angry." His voice lost some of its edge. "The thing with us…I wasn't faking it, if that's what you think."
