Chapter 1
"You barely pull in 2,500 dollars a month. My mom insisted the house go under my name," Sergio Clark said.
He slid the home purchase agreement across the table.
The down payment was 200 thousand dollars. I'd contributed 150 thousand dollars to it.
I looked at him. "Fine," I said.
He paused, clearly caught off guard by how quickly I agreed.
"Really?" he asked.
"Really," I replied, smiling lightly. "But you'll need to sign the divorce papers too."
His face shifted.
He blurted out, "Are you out of your mind?"
"Not at all." I set the divorce papers I'd prepared earlier on the table. "You keep the house. I'll walk away with nothing."
He stared at me, his expression unreadable.
Three seconds later, he picked up the pen.
Little did he know that I had something else tucked in my pocket.
*****
Sergio signed his name without hesitation.
I watched the bold, confident strokes of his pen and felt an unexpected calm settle over me.
After five years of marriage, I was finally seeing him for who he really was.
"Done," he said, sliding the papers back across the table. "You're sure you won't regret this?"
"I'm sure," I replied.
He stood, towering over me.
"Tessa, I know you're just doing this to spite me," Sergio said, his voice dripping with arrogance. "But think it through. Without me, you're nothing."
I stayed silent.
"You make 3,000 dollars a month. What can you even afford in this city? Rent alone is 1,000 dollars," he scoffed.
"I know," I replied.
"You have no connections, no real resources, not even a proper degree," he continued, dismissive.
"I know," I repeated.
My calmness only seemed to fuel his irritation.
He continued, "You seriously think you can do better than me? I graduated from a top-tier school. I pull in 100 thousand dollars a year, and my mom says women are lining up for a guy like me."
"Then go find them," I said coldly.
"Tessa!" he snapped.
I stood, meeting his gaze directly. "Sergio, we've been married five years. I contributed 150 thousand dollars for the down payment, and have covered the mortgage for three years. That's 72 thousand dollars more. All together, that's 222 thousand dollars from me."
His expression shifted.
"You can keep the house in your name. Just remember that number," I said, my tone icy.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he shot back.
I picked up my bag and turned to leave. "Nothing. Just remember it."
At the door, I paused.
"By the way, when's your mom going to pay back the 15 thousand dollars she borrowed from me last month?" I asked, keeping my voice calm.
"That was a loan to my mom, not to me," he shot back.
"Fine," I said with a slight smile. "I'll go ask her myself."
"Tessa, don't push it!" he warned.
I didn't look back.
As the door closed behind me, I took a deep breath.
It had been five years. It was finally over.
In the elevator, I pulled out my phone.
There was one unread message from a headhunter.
[Ms. Harper, congratulations on passing the final interview. Your annual compensation is 150 thousand dollars. You start next Monday. Please confirm your acceptance.]
I looked at the screen and smiled.
Sergio kept saying I only made 3,000 dollars a month.
What he didn't know was that it was three months ago.
For the past three months, while handling the divorce, I'd also been quietly lining up my next move.
He thought I was acting out of spite.
But no, I was cutting my losses.
When I moved out of Sergio's place, I took only two suitcases: one for clothes, one for books.
I was the one who'd chosen every piece of furniture and paid for every appliance in that house.
But I left it all behind.
Sergio stood in the doorway, watching me. "You're really leaving?" he asked, disbelief in his voice.
I nodded. "Yes."
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"I've rented an apartment," I replied, my tone steady.
He snorted, "I knew it. You're all talk. Once you've struggled out there, you'll come crawling back."
I ignored him.
"Tessa, if you dare ask my mom for that money, you'll regret it," he threatened.
I lifted my suitcase. "Sergio, when your mom borrowed it, she promised to pay it back in a month. It's been three months now."
He snapped, "It was an emergency. My brother, Derek, needed the wedding money. You know that!"
"I know," I said.
"And you still have the nerve to ask for it back?"
I stopped and looked at him. "Derek needed 56 thousand dollars for his wedding. Nancy borrowed fifty from me, 10 thousand dollars from your sister, Fiona, and covered the rest herself."
"Yeah. So what?" Sergio retorted.
"How much was my bride price when we married?" I asked.
Sergio went silent.
"23 thousand dollars," I answered for him. "And Nancy made me return it because of family tradition."
"That... that was different," he stammered.
I asked, "How?"
He snapped, "Your family... isn't well-off. My mom didn't ask them for anything. That was already being generous."
I laughed softly. "Sergio, do you even know how much money I've given your family over the past five years?"
He said nothing.