I… I understand

It was around noon.

"Nessa, let's grab lunch together," Ethan called out to Vanessa.

But her reaction was a bit odd.

She hesitated for a moment before saying, "No, no, you go ahead."

Ethan was immediately confused.

"You didn't bring a sandwich or anything, right? You're not eating lunch?"

Vanessa's cheeks flushed slightly. After a brief pause, she finally admitted the truth.

"I don't have any money…"

Ethan was stunned.

Had Vanessa really fallen on such hard times?

Maybe because it was him, Vanessa didn't try to hide it.

"All the money I saved from my part-time job… my dad took it yesterday."

Ethan didn't know much about Vanessa's father.

From what little he'd gathered from the original story, her dad was a washed-up middle-aged man who spent his days drinking after some major life crisis.