Chapter 2

When I walked out of the hospital, the rain had already stopped. The ground was lit up by a row of white lights, looking spotless and clean, like a road that had been washed.

I booked a moving company and left clear notes: ten boxes of medical books, two boxes of custom surgical tools, some furniture, and one cat.

At two in the morning, the mover called me back. "Miss, moving this late?"

"Yeah," I replied.

"Fight with your boyfriend?" he asked.

"No." I glanced back at the hospital entrance. David was helping Emily with her scarf. "We're breaking up."

*****

When I got back to our apartment, the lock code hadn't been changed.

David bought the place before we got married. He paid the down payment, and I covered the renovations and appliances.

Back then, he said he was too busy with work to deal with the details.

So after my night shifts, I went to the hardware store to bargain. On my days off, I sat at the job site making sure the plumbing and wiring were done right. I even set the kitchen counter height to his preference.

Now I realize that no matter how perfect the counter was, it couldn't turn him into someone who washed dishes.

I had taken the cat carrier out when the door swung open. David walked in with Emily. She slipped on a pair of pink slippers. The ones I bought for myself.

Looking at those slippers, whatever frustration I had left just melted away.

David saw me standing in the living room and thought I was having second thoughts, so his tone softened. "Get some sleep. Don't rush to cancel the wedding plans tomorrow. Let's calm down."

Emily held onto his sleeve, speaking carefully, "Nora, I know I shouldn't have come, but Mr. Quinn was worried you might do something rash if you were alone. I only wanted to check on you."

I gestured toward her slippers. "Take them off."

She ducked her head and quickly moved behind David.

David frowned. "Are you seriously upset about a pair of slippers?"

"Yes."

He held back his anger. "I'll buy you ten pairs tomorrow."

"Do you really think that's the problem?" I shot back.

Emily cried, "Nora, I honestly didn't know they were yours. At David's office, I always wear his spare slippers. I thought it was the same here. That you didn't draw those kinds of lines."

I walked over, grabbed a pair of disposable shoe covers from the cabinet, and dropped them at her feet. "I don't care what you do at the office. This is my home."

David's face darkened. "Nora, my name's on the deed."

"And mine is on the renovation receipts." I opened the entryway cabinet and tossed a stack of receipts onto the coffee table. "Flooring, cabinets, central air, every light fixture, mattress, curtains, dishwasher, fridge, washer. Total: 142.8 thousand dollars."

David froze. He probably never realized that every light in this house had a price.

I continued, "Tomorrow, I'll have the movers take away whatever can be removed. For anything left, I'll charge you for it. You have three days to settle up."

Emily's eyes widened. "Nora, that's so heartless. You're really hurting him."

"He hurt me first. Now it's just business," I replied.

David pressed his hand on the receipts. "Don't push it. You chose to do the renovations yourself. Nobody asks for money back after a breakup. That's not how it works."

"Fine. Then I'll have everything removed." I pulled out my phone and texted the movers. "Six a.m. Start with the central air."

David looked shocked. "Are you crazy? You're going to tear apart the house right before the wedding?"

"The wedding's canceled," I replied, cold as ice.