At 1 A.M., My Parents Demanded $20,000 for My Brother — By Morning, the Police Were at My Door

I looked at Emily steadily. “You thought I’d pay because I always do.”

Emily whispered, “I thought we’d pay you back eventually.”

“With what?” I asked. “With what money were you planning to pay me back twenty thousand dollars?”

Emily had no answer. Mark looked away. Because there had never been a real plan—just the comfortable assumption that I would continue reading …