Chapter 1

My husband went to the bathroom, and his phone started buzzing on the nightstand.

I saw it was a call from his younger brother, Zack. I frowned but decided to pick it up.

"Hey, bro, where is the fifteen hundred for Mom and Dad this month? Mom was just asking me about it," Zack said.

The moment I hung up, my blood turned to ice.

My husband, Jordan, was standing by the bathroom door. His hands were still wet.

I forced a twisted smile and looked him in the eye.

"You make four thousand a month. Fifteen hundred goes to the mortgage, you give me five hundred for groceries, and you keep five hundred for yourself."

"You told me you send your parents five hundred a month. Since when did it become fifteen hundred?"

His lips trembled, but no sound came out. His face was ghostly pale.

My hands were shaking uncontrollably.

We had been married for five years.

In all that time, I had never even seen his primary bank account.

What else was he hiding from me?

1

After that phone call, I stood frozen in place.

For ten minutes, my mind was a total blank.

All I could hear was that "fifteen hundred" ringing in my ears like a siren.

Last Christmas, I wanted to give my parents a two-hundred-dollar gift card.

Jordan told me things were tight and said we should wait until next time.

I believed him. I even felt guilty for asking.

My parents even comforted me, saying they didn't need anything and that I should focus on myself.

I never imagined that his idea of "tight" meant sending fifteen hundred dollars to his parents every single month.

"Stella, honey, listen to me..." He stepped forward, trying to grab my hand.

I shoved him away. My gaze was like ice.

"Listen to what? Are you going to tell me Zack was lying?"

Memories of the past few years flashed before my eyes like a bad movie.

I remembered wanting a designer coat on sale but hesitating for weeks before finally walking away.

I remembered clipping coupons and obsessing over every cent at the grocery store.

I would argue with the butcher over a few dollars just to make ends meet.

And what was he doing the whole time?

I looked at him with bloodshot eyes. My heart felt like it was being squeezed by a giant fist.

I clenched my teeth so hard my jaw ached.

He looked away, unable to meet my eyes.

"Zack just got married, and his wife is pregnant. Their expenses are huge."

"My parents said his salary is too low. As the older brother, I can't just watch them struggle."

"I thought they were right. We're brothers; we're supposed to help each other."

I had to lean against the wall to keep from collapsing.

It was so pathetic.

I was working myself to the bone to build our home.

Meanwhile, he was pouring our future into his brother's bottomless pit.

"How exactly is that fifteen hundred divided?" I demanded.

His lips moved a few times before he finally whispered the truth.

"Twelve hundred goes to Zack. Eight hundred for his mortgage, and four hundred for their living expenses."

The bitterness I had suppressed for five years finally exploded. I slapped him across the face as hard as I could.

"Is your brother a damn invalid? Does he need you to support his wife and kid too?"

"What about me, Jordan? You give your brother over a thousand a month, but you only give me five hundred for our entire household?"

"Am I a stranger to you? Is this how you treat your wife?"

I thought of my parents' kind smiles. I felt like the biggest joke in the world.

Tears streamed down my face. My voice was broken.

"How much do you actually make every month?"

"Six... six thousand..."

I snatched his phone and opened his banking app.

After taxes, it was nearly eight thousand dollars.

I let out a cold, sharp laugh and threw the phone back at his face.

"You make eight grand a month, and you give me five hundred?"

"What the hell am I to you, Jordan?"

He didn't answer. His phone rang again.

It was Zack. "Bro, you need to get over here right now!"

Jordan looked at me, his eyes full of conflict.

"Stella, Zack has an emergency. We'll talk about this when I get back."

He turned around and walked out, leaving me standing alone in the dark.

I felt completely drained. But one thought became crystal clear.

I was getting a divorce.