Chapter 3
Melvin's face darkened even more.
"25 thousand dollars," I sneered. "You've been cheating for 26 months and burned through 220 thousand dollars. Now you've only got 25k left. So tell me, how exactly do you plan to make it up to me?"
"I can pay you back over time," Melvin said.
"No need," I replied, turning back to the stove. "I don't need that small change of yours."
"So what exactly do you want?" Melvin snapped, his voice rising.
"Divorce. Split the assets. Just give me what I deserve," I said calmly. "Simple as that."
"And what about the house? That's a house worth a million dollars in the best school district. I put money into it too. Why should you get it all?" Melvin shot back.
"The deed's in my name," I said, looking at him straight in the eye. "You agreed to that at the time."
"It's still marital property!" Melvin insisted.
"Yeah, it is." I nodded. "But you cheated, so legally, I can ask for a bigger share. Plus, I put down 200 thousand dollars for the down payment, you only put in 100 thousand. I pay 2300 dollars a month for the mortgage while you pay 1500. I've been paying more."
Melvin was left speechless.
"Edith said that, given the situation, the court will most likely award the house to me," I said. "If you want a share, the most you can get is 160 thousand dollars, but that's before we subtract the compensation for your affair."
"Compensation?" Melvin blurted out.
"The cheating party has to pay the innocent one for emotional distress, usually about 30 to 60 thousand dollars," I said calmly. "So after taking that out, you're left with about 110 thousand."
Melvin looked like he'd just swallowed a lemon.
"Of course, you can refuse," I said. "But then we'll settle this in court and you might walk away with nothing."
Melvin's finger trembled as he pointed at me, but he couldn't get a single word out.
I ignored him and kept cooking.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
I went to open the door.
It was Sandra.
"Hey, I just came by to see you," Sandra said as she walked in. Spotting Melvin, she let out a dismissive snort. "Oh, you're still here? I figured you'd be gone by now."
"Sandra, this is between my wife and me," Melvin said.
"Between you two?" Sandra shot back. "You're the one who cheated, got your mistress pregnant, and you still have the guts to ask me to stay out of it?"
Melvin's face was grim as he stormed off to the study.
"That was satisfying!" Sandra grinned as she walked into the kitchen. "Need a hand?"
"Nope, it's almost ready," I said. "Why don't you stay for dinner tonight?"
"Sure," Sandra replied.
During dinner, Sandra kept encouraging me.
"Don't stress. You've got all the proof, so you're in a strong position," Sandra said. "With your stable job and solid income, the court's bound to give you custody."
"Yeah." I nodded.
"By the way, what about Colette?" Sandra asked.
"Edith said I could sue her for wrecking my marriage and demand damages," I replied. "But honestly, I don't want to waste my time on her. Let Melvin handle her himself."
"True." Sandra nodded. "Once the baby's born, Melvin's the one stuck paying child support. Let him worry about it."
I smiled.
Yeah, let him deal with his own headache.
*****
That night, I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling.
My phone buzzed.
It was a message from Melvin. [Babe, can't we just talk? Can't we work something out?]
I didn't reply.
Another message popped up from him. [I know I messed up. I swear I'll change. Just give me one more chance, okay?]
I still didn't reply.
The third message came. [Whatever you want, it's yours. I'll even give you the house. Just don't divorce me.]
I looked at the message and let out a cold laugh.
Now he realized how important the house was?
Funny how he didn't give a damn about the house when he was wiring Colette 220 thousand dollars.
I turned off my phone and closed my eyes.
I'd still got a ton to deal with tomorrow.
*****
On Friday afternoon, I dropped by Melvin's company.
I wasn't looking for him. I was there for Colette.
Sure enough, she was manning the front desk.
She was only 26, and looked pretty cute. She was rocking a maternity outfit, and her baby bump was already starting to show.
"Hi, who are you here to see?" she asked with a smile when she saw me.
"I'm here for you," I said. "I'm Melvin's wife."
Her face fell instantly.
"Can we talk?" I said.
She hesitated for a second, then nodded.
We headed downstairs to the café.
I ordered an Americano, and she got a juice.
"So, what do you want?" She broke the silence.
"How far along are you?" I asked.
"Twelve weeks," she said, her hand automatically going to her belly.
"Are you planning to keep it?" I asked.
"Yes," she answered.
"Does Melvin know?" I pressed.
"He knows," she said, meeting my eyes. "He said he'd take responsibility."
"Take responsibility?" I laughed coldly. "With what money? He's only got 25 grand left in his account, already gave you 220 grand, and now he's on the hook for child support. How exactly is he supposed to 'take responsibility'?"
Colette just stared at me, stunned.