The renovation cost $28,600.
Part came from savings.
The rest came from a loan.
For nine months, contractors handled plumbing, electrical work, and jobs that required licenses. I spent evenings and weekends sanding, painting, cleaning, shopping for materials, installing hardware and fixing countless small things.
I planned to rent the place for $1,450 per month.
That income was supposed to help pay down the renovation debt and rebuild my savings.
Colin knew every detail.
He had sat beside me while I compared contractor estimates.
He knew how much I borrowed.
He knew why the rent mattered.
He even helped carry cabinets one weekend.
So this was not a misunderstanding caused by missing information.
He simply decided that what I wanted to do with my property mattered less than what he wanted to promise Vanessa.
He returned after she left.
“That was unnecessary,” he said.
“Which part?”
“Making her feel like a freeloader.”
