Chapter 4
Once everything was settled, I walked to the market and bought the cherries and the balsamic vinegar.
When I returned, Tina and Barbara were stretched out on the couch, both of them sound asleep with the television still flickering in the background.
I set the groceries on the kitchen counter, then slipped quietly into the bedroom and locked the door behind me.
I sat down at the desk, opened my laptop, and began digging up every scrap of information I could find about Sterling Holdings and its famously elusive CEO, Charles Sterling.
There was not much online, only a handful of candid photographs from financial news articles.
He was tall, dressed in an impeccably cut dark suit. His features were sharp, his gaze direct, and even through a screen, I could feel the quiet authority he carried.
The articles said he was relentless, with a reputation for sharp instincts. In a handful of years, he had taken Sterling Holdings to the top of the industry.
His personal life was a complete mystery. He was never linked to anyone romantically, and people in the business world referred to him as a machine.
The amusing thing was, I understood exactly how that felt. Before I married Michael, I had been the head of administration at my previous company.
I handled the hardest projects and managed the most difficult clients without breaking a sweat.
If Michael had not looked me in the eye and promised, "Let me take care of you, take it easy for a while," I would never have walked away from that career for a comfortable but mind-numbing office job.
It was time to go back to the arena where I belonged.
*****
On Monday morning, I prepared for work as usual.
Before I could walk out the door, Michael stopped me in the hallway and handed me a printed note. "This month's living expenses come to two thousand nine hundred fourteen dollars and twelve cents.
"Transfer it to me before the end of the workday. I'll be working late tonight. I won't be home for dinner. You'll need to sort out your own meal."
I glanced at the note, nodded, and tucked it into my bag.
"One more thing," he added. "My mother says she and Tina will be coming over for dinner every Saturday from now on. To improve the meals, as she put it.
"You'll cover the grocery costs. Consider it your way of showing respect."
"Also, Tina wants a new handbag. She found one she likes. It's not expensive, a little over seven hundred dollars. As her sister-in-law, you should do something nice for her."
I stopped and turned to face him. "I'll pay for the groceries. That's not a problem. But I am not buying her a handbag."
Michael's brow furrowed. "Rachel, why are you being so tight-fisted? It's a handbag, not a car. Tina is my sister. She's your family now, too. Can you try to be a little more generous?"
"I am under no obligation to buy her a handbag," I said, keeping my voice even. "We're splitting our expenses now. My money, my decisions."
"You..." Michael faltered, his expression darkening. "So that's how it is now? You want to keep everything this separate?
"Let's not forget, the roof over your head belongs to me. The car in the driveway is in my name. Without me, where would you be?"
I corrected him. "Your family covered the down payment on the house, but I have been paying my half of the mortgage since the day we married.
"The car was bought by my family. It is only registered under your name. And Michael, if you truly believe I am taking advantage of you, we can put everything in writing, or we can get a divorce."
I spoke the last sentence softly, but Michael recoiled the way a person does when a door slams unexpectedly.
"Divorce?" His voice rose sharply. He stepped closer, his eyes blazing. "We have been married for three days, and you are already talking about divorce?
"What do you think of me? What do you think of my family? Listen to me carefully. Divorce is not an option. Do not even consider it."
"Then what exactly do you want from me?" I lifted my chin and met his furious glare straight on. "You want me to cover every bill, handle every chore, serve your mother like hired help.
"You even want me to bankroll your sister's shopping, and then smile gratefully while your family acts as though they have done me some enormous favor by allowing me to support all of you."
Michael blinked, thrown by how plainly I had laid it out. Then his anger surged back. "You are impossible. Everything I have done has been for your benefit, to teach you how to stand on your own.
"It's your insecurity that twists everything around."
"I suppose I am twisting things," I said, and I turned away from him and opened the front door. "I'm leaving for work. I'll transfer the money this afternoon."
Behind me, his voice chased me down the hallway. "Rachel, you had better apologize to my mother and Tina tonight. This is not over."
I pulled the door shut and let the latch click behind me, cutting off his tirade in an instant.
Standing in the elevator, I caught my own reflection in the mirrored wall. My expression was calm. The truth was, I almost wanted to laugh.
That was Michael through and through. He wanted to split every expense down to the cent, but he also wanted me to perform every traditional duty of a wife.
He wanted me to be independent and self-sufficient, so I never asked him for a thing, but he also expected me to finance his entire family.
He wanted to chip away at my confidence until I believed I was worthless, and simultaneously use the marriage to trap me so I could never walk away.
He had thought this through rather carefully.
Unfortunately for him, I had never been the kind of woman who could be walked over.
When I loved him, I was willing to compromise and accommodate and give him whatever he asked for.
But now, that love was nearly gone. And we were about to find out who would win this game.