“How big is the loan?” Sarah asked.

“It’s forty-eight thousand dollars,” I said.

My voice stayed flat and steady, but I pressed my right hand flat on my breastbone to ease the tight ache behind my ribs.

“If you sign that paper, Clara, your good credit gets tied to forty-eight thousand dollars of debt you could never pay off on your own.”

“I know that,” I said.

“He took every bit of the twenty-two thousand dollars out of our joint savings on Tuesday, and now he needs this loan approved before the auditor closes the books.”