My Turn to Keep Him

It was my fifth year with Ethan, my sugar daddy.

The big shot, the guy who ran the city, had just gone belly-up.

To make sure I'd be okay, he bought me this beautiful house - his last asset.

Looking at Ethan, with absolutely nothing left, I ruffled his hair.

"You silly guy," I said, "after all this time, now it's my turn to take care of you."

1.

I was soaking in the tub of the mansion Ethan had just bought me, when my phone started blowing up. "Hey, Riley, you okay?"

"Riley, did you see? Ethan's company went bankrupt!"

"Riley, if you're bummed, let's go out and have some fun."

I scrolled through the messages and then checked Twitter. It was all over the trending list.

So that's why Ethan hadn't called for days. It wasn't that he'd moved on. He'd just been dealing with a huge mess.

I lathered up, taking a deep breath.

Halfway through my bath, the phone rang.

"Riley! Ethan's broke! Who's gonna protect you now? Dad's sick, you need to come home and help with his care. Maybe then he'll let you come back. Or you'll have to figure out where you're gonna live." It was my half-sister, Heather's, voice, dripping with satisfaction.

Dad was sick, huh? I should probably go see him. "Fine, I'll come say goodbye to Dad. As for taking care of him, Heather's your girl." After all, he had always favored her.

2.

Since Ethan wasn't calling me, I'd go to him. See how he was doing.

I made his favorite BBQ ribs, packed them into a container.

Just as I reached his office, I heard voices.

"Ethan, we should get married. My dad would definitely throw some money your way as his future son-in-law, to help you get back on your feet."

Ethan's cold voice replied, "No, thanks, Tiffany. I think you should leave."

"Is that woman really so great? Is she worth watching everything you worked for go down the drain? Have you even thought about your mother? Nobody cares about you now except me. You're still hung up on her!" Tiffany's voice rose, cracking with anger.

Ethan didn't hesitate. "This is my problem, Tiffany. Please don't get involved."

I kicked the door open, my high heels clicking on the floor. "Honey, I missed you! I got you your favorite ribs."

Ethan smiled, ruffling my hair.

I opened the container and started feeding him. Tiffany, fuming, slammed the door on her way out, muttering, "You'll regret this, Ethan!"

3.

I told Ethan my dad was sick.

He looked me in the eye, serious. "Do you want to go see him? If you don't want to, we don't have to."

"Of course, I'm going. He was so cold leaving Mom, now he's getting what's coming to him. I want to see it."

Ethan started packing his stuff. "I'll come with you."

I stared at his red-rimmed eyes. "Honey, is there anything you need to tell me?"

He hesitated, then shook his head. He couldn't bring himself to tell me the extent of it.

I smiled, running my fingers through his messy hair.

He stopped me, holding my hand. "Riley, I promise, once I've worked everything out, I'll tell you."

4.

Tiffany wen...