Chapter 3
Tess and Michael's marriage lasted only a year and three months.
They met through a blind date. Michael was handsome, came from a loaded family, and was always polite.
On their first date, he pulled out Tess's chair, poured her water, and handed her tissues. He was attentive to every detail. Tess's parents were thrilled and kept urging her to say yes to him.
At the time, Tess thought Michael was a bit of a mama's boy. He took his mom's calls on two out of three dates. But overall, he seemed reliable.
She figured once they got married and had their own place, he wouldn't be calling his mom all the time anymore.
She was wrong.
Once they tied the knot, it was like Michael turned into someone else.
The very first day they got back from their honeymoon, Helen moved right into their place, claiming she was there to "look after them". And she stayed for a whole year and three months.
Helen criticized Tess from head to toe.
If Tess cooked, Helen complained it was too salty. If Tess didn't cook, Helen called her lazy.
If Tess worked overtime, Helen said she didn't care about the family. If Tess stopped working overtime, Helen complained that Tess wasn't earning enough.
If Tess bought new clothes, Helen called her wasteful. If Tess didn't buy any, Helen complained that Tess looked unkempt.
Whatever Tess did, it was never right.
Michael? He wasn't any better.
Whenever Helen complained that Tess's cooking was too salty, Michael would only echo her, "Yeah, you should use less salt."
If Helen called Tess lazy, Michael would pile on, "Can't you be a bit more hardworking?"
If Helen said Tess didn't care about the family, Michael would add, "Which matters more, your job or your family?"
Sometimes, Tess felt like she hadn't married a husband, but a set of Siamese twins.
What really broke her heart was the time she had a high fever.
That day, Helen was hanging out with her friends, and Michael was home. Tess was burning up and shivering, so she said, "Michael, can you take me to the hospital?"
Michael was sitting on the couch, playing video games, not even looking up. "Just take some medicine and wait until I finish this round."
Tess poured herself a glass of water, took two pills, and lay down on the bed to wait.
Two hours later, Michael was still glued to his game.
She asked again, "Michael, I'm really not feeling well. Take me to the hospital."
Michael got annoyed. "Why are you acting so dramatic? It's just a fever. My mom says you just need to sweat it out and you'll be fine. Why bother with the hospital?"
Tess ended up calling 911 herself.
When the ambulance showed up, Michael was still gaming on the couch.
The doctor said it was acute pneumonia. If she'd come any later, it could've been deadly.
Tess ended up stuck in the hospital for five days. Michael showed up only twice, and each time he barely stayed for half an hour before rushing off.
Helen never bothered to visit, but she did call once just to say, "Young people these days are so fragile."
On the day Tess was discharged, she hailed a cab and went home all alone.
As soon as Tess opened the door, she spotted a girl she didn't recognize sitting in the living room. That was Sophie.
Sophie was wearing a pink dress, lounging on the couch with her legs crossed, snacking on cherries.
A plate of freshly washed fruit sat in front of her, and she was watching a variety show on TV, laughing so hard that she nearly doubled over.
Michael was sitting right next to her, and the two of them were sitting very close.
"Michael, this guy is so funny." Sophie laughed, smacking Michael's arm as she watched.
"Who told you to come here?" Tess asked, standing in the doorway.
Sophie turned around, and her smile froze for a moment when she saw Tess, but she quickly switched to a sweet, innocent look. "Hey, Tess. I'm Sophie Winters, Michael's childhood friend.
"Mrs. Lane asked me to stay here for a few days."
"Mrs. Lane?" Tess looked at Michael. "Your mom told her to come?"
Michael nodded. "Mom said Sophie doesn't have anywhere to stay in the city, so she asked us to let her crash here. It's just for a few days, no big deal."
"Us?" Tess repeated. "Michael, this is our home, not your guesthouse. Your mom just invites anyone she wants to stay here? Did you ever ask for my opinion?"
"Why are you talking like that?" Michael's face darkened. "Sophie isn't some stranger. We grew up together. She's like family. Do you really have to make such a big deal out of this?"
Sophie stood up, her eyes getting teary. "Tess, I'm sorry. Am I bothering you? If so, I'll leave."
"Sophie, sit down." Michael grabbed her arm and pulled her back down. Then he turned to Tess, glaring. "Tess, you're being unreasonable. This is my place. I can have whoever I want stay here."
"Your place?" Tess sneered. "Michael, this apartment came from selling my place before we got married. How much did you put in?
"Did you ever pay a single dollar for the down payment? Did you ever cover even one month's mortgage?"
Michael's face flushed.
This was a real sore spot for him.
Back when they were buying the place, Michael had no money. All the money was in Helen's hands. She kept saying, "Buying a house is a man's responsibility. No way should you be paying for it."
But in the end, she only tossed in 15,000 dollars.
Only 15,000 dollars.
For a house that cost 1.1 million dollars, that was all they got from Tess.
Tess sold her own apartment and came up with 600 thousand dollars. For the mortgage, she paid 2,000 dollars a month, while Michael only paid 1,000 dollars.
But after just three months, Michael started whining that 1,000 dollars was too much, saying it was stressing him out. So Tess ended up covering the whole 3,000 dollars herself.
Tess had never breathed a word of this to anyone outside the family.
But after Sophie had been living there for two weeks, Tess had reached her limit.