“In front of everyone?”
I looked at Melissa and Brooke.
Then back at her.
“Would you like me to schedule the refusal privately?”
Her face flushed.
That was when I finally understood the real structure of the evening.
The plan had already been discussed.
Lauren had told her friends what she wanted.
They had validated it.
Maybe they had even helped shape it.
Lauren expected me to come home to a united front, feel embarrassed, and eventually give in because saying no to one person is easier than saying no while three people stare at you.
This was no longer simply about money.
It was about pressure.
She wanted witnesses to my compliance.
Instead, I kept saying no.
Lauren crossed her arms.
“If you respected me, you would at least try this.”
Melissa said quietly, “Maybe you two should finish this alone.”
It was the smartest sentence spoken all evening.
Lauren turned toward her.
“No. We’re finishing it.”
Then she looked at me.
“Transfer the savings.”
I thought I had misunderstood.
“What?”
“Open your banking app.”
“For what?”
“Transfer your personal savings into the joint account.”
I laughed once.
Not because it was funny.
Sometimes the brain produces laughter while checking whether reality has become absurd enough to require a different response.
Lauren’s eyes flashed.
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
“Do it.”
“No.”
“Eric.”
“No.”
She stared at me.
I could see the humiliation beginning to replace anger.
Her friends were present.
She had presented a plan as though implementation were already decided.
I was refusing to play my assigned part.