That house had already sucked up every dime of our savings, then bled our credit cards dry. Now, it turned out we had a new set of immediate debts.

“Naomi, I need another seventy-five thousand dollars,” he tossed out that morning, not even looking up from his plate of scrambled eggs. He spoke about the sum as if he were asking me to pass the salt.

I froze, coffee mug in hand. “Marcus, where are we going to get it? We already owe the bank nearly a quarter of a million dollars. My salary as an administrator at the regional manufacturing hub barely covers the interest payments and groceries.”