"From what I've gathered, Sasha doesn't seem have any interest in Shane," Justin explained. "In fact, she started disliking him when he started looking for someone else to take her place. And..."

He hesitated for a moment, then finally decided to be upfront. "If she really cared about him, there's no way she'd let him move in with another woman. I'm starting to think it was Sasha who told him to move in with her."

Carlisle looked skeptical. "You're sure about that?"

"I'm not sure," Justin said. "All I know is that after talking to Sasha, he ended up moving in with someone else. I'm just guessing based on that."

He shared everything he knew with Carlisle, who quickly understood that Shane had only just begun to show improvement. Bringing him home too soon might undo everything, so letting Shane endure a bit more hardship seemed like the best course.

Carlisle paced restlessly in the living room, still thinking about what Sasha could have said to Shane. After mulling it over, he decided to call her. He needed answers.

"I heard you spoke with Shane today, huh?" he asked.

Sasha hadn't expected Carlisle to call so late. His question made her pulse spike. She was worried he might be looking to stir up trouble, but since he hadn't said anything else, Sasha couldn't figure out how much he actually knew. So, she decided to play it safe.

"Yeah," she replied.

"I heard he's made some noticeable changes since talking to you," Carlisle said. "What did you tell him?"noveldrama

When Sasha heard that, she realized

he had no clue. She let out a quiet sigh of relief before saying, "It's easy to get used to a lavish life, but it's much harder to step down to something simpler. He was living it up under your protection and spending freely.

"But now that you've stopped supporting him, his life's fallen apart. He's nearly broke and can't even afford a meal. So, he came to me asking how I managed to cope with this 'poverty' lifestyle."

Sasha had no intention of being honest with him. Yvonne had taken shots at her, and she was determined to get back at her.

If she spilled the truth to Carlisle, he'd certainly try to sabotage Yvonne and Shane's relationship, which would mess up Sasha's plans. So, after thinking it through, Sasha decided to keep the truth to herself. Carlisle raised an eyebrow. "So, what did you tell him?"

"I told him exactly how things are," Sasha replied instantly. "If I don't work, I won't make any money, and↓ won't be able to afford a meal. So, have to throw myself into my job, and by the time I'm done, I'm too exhausted to even think about spending money."

Carlisle still couldn't make sense of it. "But even a simple handbag you buy costs more than 20 grand, doesn't it?"

Sasha let out a small laugh. "Yeah,

that's why I can't bring myself to buy such expensive bags nowadays. Whenever I'm ready to check

and see the price, which is out!

like

months of my salary, I just can't

bring myself to spend that much."

Carlisle sighed. "It sounds like you're really struggling."

"It's not as tough as it seems," Sasha said earnestly. "Honestly, life's pretty good. It's busy, sure, but I'm managing. And I told him that once I started working, I realized how important it is to rely on myself to make a living."