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“I tried to buy us time,” Emmaline whispered. “But they want the full balance. In cash. No payment plans. They say we’ll just continue to be behind with no hope of catching up.”
I nodded.
“Do you have a plan?” she asked.
“I don’t,” I said honestly. “But I think I’m done pretending I don’t need help.”
Emmaline stared at me. “Does that mean?—”
“It means I’m not too proud to ask Elias for a loan. Or maybe a miracle. Or maybe just a nap before I fall apart again.”
Elias stepped forward. “You don’t have to ask. You just have to let me.”
The apartment was too small for all this grief, but somehow, in that moment, it didn’t feel so crushing.
It felt like maybe something was beginning to shift. And I let myself hope that it might shift in our favor.
Emmaline's gaze cut to him, sharp and assessing. “Do you have the money?”
Elias didn’t flinch. “Yes.”
Just like that. No hesitation, no caveats. Just a quiet truth that filled the room like thunder.
Her brows lifted. “I don’t mean a few hundred bucks. I mean thousands.”
He gave a small nod. “That won’t be a problem.”
She stared, blinking slowly, like she couldn’t quite compute that kind of answer. “Wait. Who are you exactly?”
“My brothers and I own Dominion Hall,” he said simply. “And a few other things. Namely, Dominion Defense Corporation. The short version is that I have enough money to fix this. And I want to.”
Emmaline blinked again, then turned to me. “This is the guy?”
“This is the guy,” I said softly.
Elias’s voice gentled. “I’m not offering this to make things complicated. I’m offering because you’re Vivi’s family. And because this shouldn’t fall on either of you alone.”
Emmaline’s mouth pressed into a line. “What’s the catch?”
“There isn’t one,” Elias said. “But I do have an idea. If it’s too much, say so. No hard feelings.”
She crossed her arms but said nothing.
Elias glanced at me, then back at her. “What if we moved her here? Your mom. To Charleston. I’ll cover the transport, the care, the transition into one of the best memory care centers in the state—less than ten minutes from here. Private suite, full staff, all of it.”
Emmaline sucked in a sharp breath. “That kind of care costs?—”
“I know what it costs. I already had my people run numbers.”
I looked up at him. “You did?”
He shrugged. “I like having a plan.”
“But Emmaline and her family are in Dallas,” I said. “They can’t just uproot?—”
“I was getting to that,” he said calmly. “I’ll move your whole family here if that’s what you want. I’ll buy a house. Help your husband start a new church or partner with one that fits your values. Provide anything he needs to establish roots. Whatever you need.”
Emmaline blinked, speechless.