The next morning, I woke with pleasant anticipation. My phone buzzed with an email notification. I smiled, expecting a sweet message or a note about a second date.
Instead, I opened an email that changed everything: a meticulously formatted invoice.
At the bottom, the “total amount due” wasn’t a number—it was a demand. Eric implied I now owed him “reciprocation” in the form of more dates and threatened to tell Chris that I was ungrateful if I didn’t comply. The charming man from last night—the one who seemed thoughtful and kind—suddenly looked manipulative and controlling.
