Chapter 2

2

He didn't come back until after midnight.

He reeked of cigarettes and cheap beer. Like usual, he tried to wrap his arm around my waist.

The moment he touched me, I bolted upright.

Every cell in my body was screaming in disgust.

"Don't touch me. You make me sick!"

Jordan gave me a pathetic, people-pleasing smile.

"I knew you'd be in a bad mood. You probably haven't eaten, right?"

"I bought some takeout from that BBQ place you like. Let's go eat."

It was the same old routine.

Every time we hit a real problem, he tried to distract me with cheap affection.

My voice was dead.

"I'm not like you. I can't just eat while my life is falling apart."

"When we got married, your parents said they had no retirement fund. They asked for three hundred a month."

"That money never went to your parents, did it?"

"It went to your brother from the very beginning, didn't it?"

His smile vanished. He started fidgeting with his shirt.

"When did you start paying his mortgage?" I pressed.

He stuttered for a long time.

"Since he bought the house for his wedding," he finally muttered.

I already knew it, but hearing it out loud made my blood boil.

I kicked him squarely in the shin.

"Jordan, where do I fit into your plan? Tell me!"

"Am I just the idiot who helps you raise your brother?"

I remembered when Zack got married. His parents dropped nearly a hundred thousand for his down payment without blinking.

I had felt hurt back then, but Jordan held me and whispered sweet lies.

"Zack dropped out of school to help me finish college. I owe him. We have our own hands; we can earn our own way."

I believed him.

I used my entire inheritance from my grandmother―fifty thousand dollars―and my savings.

I put down the down payment for our house while he only contributed five grand.

And now I find out he's been giving money away this whole time!

He suddenly fell to his knees and grabbed my hand.

"Stella, I love you. You know that."

"If I didn't love you, I wouldn't have married you."

"But I feel so guilty. Zack had such good grades, but he sacrificed his future for me. I can never repay that."

My expression stayed numb.

Guilt. Always with the guilt.

For years, that guilt had been a boulder crushing the life out of me.

But why was I the one paying the bill for his conscience?

I pulled my hand away. The last spark of warmth in my heart went out.

"You've been paying him back for years. You took five years of my life. You're even."

"Jordan, I want a divorce."

He froze. He clearly didn't expect me to actually say it.

I didn't look at him. I grabbed my suitcase and walked out to the parking lot.

I walked to my usual spot, but my BMW was gone. My parents had bought it for me as a wedding gift.

I had seen it there this morning.

I rushed to the building's security office to check the cameras.

My skin went cold as the footage played.

Jordan had driven my car away earlier that afternoon.

A few hours later, he had returned in an Uber.

My car was nowhere to be seen.

I stood in the empty parking space, feeling my blood turn to ice.

I dialed his number with shaking fingers.

"Jordan, where the hell is my car?"