Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Just as my hand touched the front doorknob, someone knocked from the outside.

I opened the door to find our neighbor, Mrs. Gable, smiling warmly. "Corinne, my sister sent some fresh farm eggs from the countryside. I brought a dozen for you to build your strength."

I knew Mrs. Gable didn't come just to drop off eggs; she had something on her mind.

"Come on in, Mrs. Gable."

Mrs. Gable stepped inside and glanced sideways at Calvin. "Oh, Calvin's here too. Well, let me speak frankly. A married man shouldn't be lingering around another woman's door every night. Looking after your own wife is what matters most."

Calvin kept his head down over his bowl, his ears burning with shame.

After Mrs. Gable chatted for a moment and stepped out, I spotted Wendy hovering near the landing.

"Calvin! Wendy is waiting for you in the hall!" I called out loudly into the apartment.

Calvin jumped, dropping his spoon onto the floor with a loud clatter.

Wendy hurried forward, her voice trembling. "Corinne, Calvin and I are completely innocent. Please don't be like this…"

Hearing the word "innocent" come out of her mouth was almost comical.

"Drop the helpless act, Wendy," I said coldly. "That puppy-dog face might work on Calvin, but it doesn't work on me."

"For the past five years, everything your household ate, wore, and used came out of our marital income. I'm giving you three days to pay it all back, or I'll have the plant manager broadcast your theft over the public speaker system."

Wendy's face turned white. "Calvin only helped us out of the goodness of his heart! It was just some pantry staples and baby supplies!"

"Then your dear Calvin never told you the total sum?"

"What he gave you before our wedding is his business. But after our wedding, that was joint marital property. He handed you at least forty dollars a month. Over five years, that's twenty-five hundred dollars."

"Pay it back, or I'm taking this straight to the authorities for embezzlement of household funds."

Twenty-five hundred dollars was a fortune in those days. Wendy was utterly paralyzed.

She turned to Calvin with tear-filled eyes. "Calvin… say something!"

Calvin broke into a cold sweat under the pressure. "Wendy… just return it. It really is a large sum. Please, do it for my sake…"

Wendy dropped to her knees right in front of me, wailing. "Corinne, have mercy on us! Where am I supposed to find that kind of money as a single mother?!"

Disgusted by her theatrical routine, I stepped right over her and walked out.

I marched straight to the administrative office where both Calvin and Wendy worked and knocked on Director Holloway's door.

"Director Holloway, I'm not here to start a fight. I just want my marital assets returned before I leave."

Director Holloway poured me a cup of hot tea, trying to calm me down. "Corinne, I know how hard you've worked to support Calvin. He's completely out of line, and I will make sure you get your money back. But divorce is a massive step…"

"Director, my overseas departure is finalized for next week. I will be abroad for years. Divorcing him lets him marry Wendy, which solves the problem for everyone."

Director Holloway was taken aback. Everyone knew me as a devoted wife, and nobody expected me to walk away so decisively.

"Studying abroad is a tremendous honor, Corinne," Director Holloway said approvingly. "I support you completely. As for Calvin, he was on the shortlist for Employee of the Year, but clearly his morals are in the gutter!"

Before he could finish, Calvin burst through the door, panting. "Director, don't listen to her! We are not getting divorced!"

He turned to me, frantic. "Going overseas?! Why didn't you talk to me before making such a massive decision?!"

Wendy stumbled in behind him, collapsing onto the floor in tears. "Director, please help me! How am I supposed to pay back all that money?!"

Their commotion drew a crowd of coworkers to the doorway.

I kept my voice calm and icy. "If you two want to make a scene in front of the entire company, go right ahead. I am getting divorced, and I am getting my twenty-five hundred dollars back."

Wendy looked around at the onlookers and screamed hysterically. "Twenty-five hundred dollars! How are my baby and I supposed to survive?! I might as well just jump out the window!"

She scrambled to her feet and rushed toward the open second-story window.