Chapter 2

As I walked out of the café, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Miller. [David told me you two are getting divorced?] I didn't reply.

Another message popped up. [Don't blame David. Think about it yourself. Making only a thousand dollars a month, do you think you're good enough for my son?] I still didn't reply.

Then a third, [Divorce if you want, but don't think about taking any of the assets. We paid the down payment on the house. David bought the car, and all the savings are his. What did you ever contribute?]

I stared at the screen for three seconds. Then I finally hit delete and removed her from Messages.

After five years, I finally did it. As I walked, memories of those five years flooded my mind.

When we got married, my mom gave me thirty thousand dollars as a wedding gift. Miller said, "You two should save that money for when you have kids." So, the money went straight into David's account.

Our first year of marriage, I made twelve hundred dollars a month. After taxes and everything, I was left with a little over a thousand dollars.

Miller said, "Emily, David works so hard to earn money, so you should take care of things at home." So I ended up doing all the chores. I cooked, did the laundry, mopped the floors, and bought groceries.

The second year after we got married, David's mom was diagnosed with high blood pressure and needed care. David's dad, William Carter, said, "Emily, you don't make much anyway. Why not quit and care for Miller?"

I didn't quit. Every day after work, I hurried home to make dinner for Miller. On weekends, I took her to her follow-up appointments at the hospital.

The third year of our marriage, David got promoted to manager and started making five thousand dollars a month. He said, "Emily, you need to try harder too. Don't settle for that thousand-a-month forever."

I agreed. I started studying for certificates and picking up new skills on my own. In the fourth year of our marriage, my salary went up to fifteen hundred dollars.

David scoffed, "That's it? Five hundred more? My coworker's wife pulls in a hundred thousand a year." That was the first time I saw how much he'd changed.

This year was the fifth year of our marriage.

One day, I came home early and saw David out on the balcony, talking on the phone. His voice was gentle, a softness I'd never heard from him before. "Yeah. Okay. I miss you too."

He didn't notice me. I stood in the doorway, my heart dropping.

That night, he came home and said he'd been working overtime. I didn't call him out on it. I started quietly making plans.

I counted up my secret stash. Over five years, I'd put away thirty dollars a month, plus holiday cash. All in all, it came to twenty-nine hundred dollars.

I was hoping to save up three thousand dollars for a birthday present for myself. But now, it looked like that money was going to be used for something else.

I used twenty of those dollars to buy a lottery ticket. The drawing was on a Saturday. I was alone in my room, checking the numbers on my phone.

When I saw the numbers, I was completely stunned. I checked three times to make sure I wasn't seeing things. It was the jackpot, five million dollars after taxes.

My first reaction wasn't jumping for joy. My first thought was clear. There was no way David could ever find out about this money.

By law, any lottery winnings you get while married belong to both of you. If we were still married, David could walk away with two and a half million dollars. Why should he get any of it?

Because he spent five years looking down on me for low salary? Because he cheated on me with a coworker who makes a hundred thousand dollars a year? Because he tried to kick me out with nothing?

No. I don't want to give him a single cent.

So when David asked to talk about the divorce the next day, I didn't hesitate. I said, "Fine, let's get divorced. You keep the house, the car and the savings. I don't want any of it."

I was so decisive because I knew that lottery ticket in my pocket was worth more than everything he had put together.

Was I walking out empty-handed? What a joke. The one who really lost everything was him.

*****

Getting the divorce decree was smooth sailing. At the final hearing, the judge asked us the standard question. "Do you believe the marriage is irretrievably broken?"

David glanced at me. I said, "Yes."

The decree was finalized.

As we walked out of the courthouse, David suddenly called out to me. "Emily."

I turned around.

His expression was complicated, a mix of relief, a hint of guilt, and maybe even a touch of reluctance. "So what are you planning to do next?" David asked.

I smiled. "That's none of your business anymore."

He paused for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Take care." He turned and walked away.

I watched him walk away. David, you probably thought you dumped a dead weight. You thought I would be miserable, regret it, and come crawling back to you, begging for another chance. You were dreaming.