Chapter 20

Paige's POV I was reading the letter from the bank when the front door creaked open, and Ares' familiar cedar-and-pine scent filled the living room. He trudged in, his broad shoulders slumped with exhaustion, and dropped onto the couch beside me. I heaved a sigh and handed the letter to him. "A letter from the bank. We're about to lose our house, Ares." I pressed my lips together and heaved another sigh. It turns out Aunt Precy applied for a loan in a bank and used this house as a collateral when Achi got sick two years ago. We didn't know about this. I was shocked when I received this letter today. "A collateral?" Ares blurted out and a low growl escaped his throat. He looked at me as he clenched his jaws. "We can't lose our house, Paige." I nodded. "I know." "How did mom get this kind of loan?" I pointed at the date of the loan. "It was the same day Achi was rushed to the hospital." Ares squeezed his eyes closed and nodded, He folded the letter and hid it in the pocket of his pants.