Chapter 1
Chapter 1 Fake Divorce, Real Goodbye
"Let's get a fake divorce," David Miller said.
Sarah Bennett was washing dishes, her hands frozen mid-air. "What?"
David leaned against the kitchen door frame, looking totally relaxed. "A fake divorce. We'll get back together after a while."
"Why?" Sarah asked.
"To buy a second house," David said, strolling over as if he were talking about dinner plans. "We already have one in both our names. If we want another, we have to pretend to get divorced. You know how these things go."
Sarah turned off the faucet.
"The new place is 1.3 million dollars, with a down payment of 400 thousand dollars," David said, pulling out his phone and opening the calculator. "I already crunched the numbers, our savings plus a loan will cover it."
"Who's this house for?" Sarah asked.
"Of course, it's for us," David replied.
Sarah turned to face her husband. "David, we've been married for five years."
"I know," David said with a smile. "That's why I'm bringing this up with you, I wouldn't trust anyone else to pull this off."
*****
Sarah stayed quiet.
She dried her hands, then went to sit in the living room. David followed her. "What are you thinking about?"
"I'm wondering why you suddenly want a second house," Sarah said, looking at him. "Our current place is 1,345 square feet. That's more than enough for us."
"It's not enough," David said, settling in beside her. "Think if we have kids, and our parents come over, one place won't cut it."
"My mom's in great shape, and your mom said last year she actually prefers living by herself," Sarah replied.
David froze for a second, feeling a bit thrown off. "Well we still gotta plan ahead," his voice sounding a little uneasy. "Prices are climbing every day. The sooner we buy, the better off we'll be."
"Really?" Sarah asked.
"Of course." David replied.
Sarah looked at him, then suddenly broke into a smile. "Okay, I agree."
David's eyes sparkled. "Seriously?"
"Yeah," Sarah nodded. "When are we doing this?"
"This Friday at the registry office," David breathed a sigh of relief. "There's a 30-day cooling-off period, so we can buy the house in a month."
"Okay," Sarah replied.
David stood up. "I'll get the paperwork together: the family register, our IDs..."
"Wait," Sarah said.
"What's up?" David asked.
Sarah looked at him. "The down payment is 400 thousand dollars. How much do we really have saved up?"
"I've got 280 thousand dollars," David replied quickly. "You've got 120 thousand, right? That's enough for the down payment."
"That 120 thousand dollars is for my parents' retirement," Sarah said.
"Retirement?" David frowned. "Your parents are only 58. That's too early."
"But that's five years of savings," Sarah said.
"So what?" David's voice rose. "Sarah, we're married. Does it really matter whose money it is?"
Sarah didn't say anything.
"So, do you agree or not?" David pressed.
"Didn't I already say yes?" Sarah said, standing up. "I'll go get ready."
She walked into the bedroom and closed the door behind her.
Standing behind the door, Sarah pulled out her phone and opened the banking app, staring at the balance: 120 thousand dollars.
That was every penny she'd saved over five years.
Her monthly salary was 3000 dollars. She sent 1000 to her parents, kept 670 for her own expenses, and put the remaining 1330 into savings.
David earned 4000 dollars a month, but he never talked about how much he actually saved.
Sarah took a deep breath, opened WhatsApp, and texted her best friend, Mia Shaw: [Hey, you there? I need to talk.]
Mia replied instantly: [What's up?]
Sarah: [David wants us to get a fake divorce.]
Mia: [What?!]
Sarah: [He wants to buy a second house and says he needs my 120 thousand dollars.]
Mia: [Sarah, are you out of your mind? How could you agree to something like a fake divorce?]
Sarah: [I already said yes.]
Mia: [Are you crazy?]
Sarah stared at the screen, typing out each word slowly: [I want to see what he's really up to.]
Mia: [You're starting to suspect him?]
Sarah: [Yeah.] She leaned against the door. [For five years, I never doubted him. Now that I think about it, maybe I was being foolish.]
Mia was quiet for a moment, then replied: [Let me know if you need anything.]
Sarah: [Okay.]
Sarah put her phone away and opened the closet.
On the top shelf, there was a box containing her and David's marriage certificate.
In the photo, both of them were smiling happily.
That was five years ago.
She was 23, David was 25. They'd been dating for three years before tying the knot.
The bride price is 29 thousand dollars, and the wedding was simple. Relatives all say this girl is sensible and well-behaved.
Sarah put the marriage certificate away and walked out of the bedroom.
David was sitting on the couch, talking on the phone. When he saw her come out, he quickly hung up.
"Who is that?" Sarah asked.
"Work," David said, standing up. "Sarah, I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier."
"It is fine," Sarah replied.
"You really agree?" David asked.
"Yeah," Sarah said, looking at him. "But I do have one condition."
"What is it?" David asked.
"The new house needs to be in my name," Sarah said.
David froze. "Why?"
"While we're doing the fake divorce, the house can't have both our names on it" Sarah said, keeping her voice steady. "If you're using my 120 thousand dollars, then the house should be in my name."
"This..." David hesitated.
"Don't you say our money is all the same?" Sarah asked.
David was at a loss for words.
"What, you don't want to?" Sarah smiled. "Then forget it, I'm not doing the fake divorce."
"Wait." David quickly grabbed her hand. "Okay, it'll be in your name. Everything, it's all yours."
"Really?" Sarah asked.
"Really." David nodded vigorously. "Have I ever lied to you?"
Sarah looked him in the eye. After five seconds, she looked away. "Then let's do it on Friday."
"Great." David let out a sigh of relief. "I'll start getting everything together right now."
He turned and headed for the study, while Sarah stayed where she was.
She could hear David in the study, speaking quietly on the phone. "Yeah Friday...Be relax... I will get this done."
Sarah's fingers tightened around her phone.