Chapter 2 · He Pocketed My Cash, I Sold the House

The call connected almost instantly.

"Hello?" It was David speaking. I could hear waves and his mom, Linda, laughing in the background.

"Why didn't the nurse show up?" I asked.

There was a pause on his end, and the music faded. "Amelia? What's wrong? Did the nanny take a day off?" He sounded all innocent and lost, like he was trying to act but totally failing.

"David, I'm asking again. Where's the nurse?"

The waves were still crashing in the background. He went quiet.

After a few seconds, he sounded tired and helpless. "Well, my mom hasn't been feeling well these days, and she's been in a bad mood. My dad thought it'd be good to take her out for a change of scenery."

"So?" I pressed.

"So we used the money that was supposed to go to the nanny for now. Amelia, think of it as us borrowing it for a bit. We'll pay you back when we get home."

Borrow? Like it was nothing to him.

"And what about the baby? And me?" I asked, my voice flat.

"It's only a few days. You can handle it for now, right? Back when my mom raised me, there was no nurse, and she got through it fine. Try to be more sensible about this," he said.

Be sensible. There it was again.

Ever since I married him, Linda never stopped reminding me to "be sensible."

"Amelia, you need to be sensible. David's our only son."

"Amelia, you need to be sensible. Richard and I can't help with the mortgage, so you two are on your own for that."

"Amelia, you need to be sensible. We're not in great shape, so you'll have to handle more when it comes to the baby."

And now, even my husband was using those words on me.

It was only the fifth day after my C-section, and my wound was still bleeding.

"That's my own money," I said, making sure he heard every word.

"I know you earned it. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?" David's voice got louder. "We're family. Why are you drawing lines between us?

"My mom's not feeling well. Do you want her to get sick because of this? Can't you cut us some slack?"

I let out a soft laugh. "David, I bought this house before we tied the knot."

He froze. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"My parents paid the down payment. I've been covering the mortgage on my own. The title's got only my name on it."

On the other end, there was dead silence, only the faint sound of waves, almost mocking me from afar. "Amelia, what are you trying to say? Are you threatening me?" His voice suddenly turned suspicious.

"I'm letting you know," I said, and hung up right away, not giving him a chance to rant or argue.

I stared out the window. The sky was gray, like how I felt inside.

No, my heart didn't have a color anymore. It died hours ago. Now, it was only something beating to keep me alive.

I pulled out the property deed, took a clear shot of it with my phone, and opened up the biggest real estate app in the city.

I found a star agent's number and made them a call. "Hi, I want to sell my house."

"Which property are we talking about?" the agent asked.

I told him the address.

"Oh, Sunnydale Residences, right? That's a prime location. Ma'am, your place is worth about—" he said.

"I don't care about the market price," I cut him off. "There's only one thing I want."

"Go ahead."

"I want it paid in full within twenty days."

The agent paused for a while. "Ma'am, twenty days... That's pushing it. With the usual process, the fastest we can manage is over a month."

"I'll take 100 thousand less than the market price."

The agent went silent.

"150 thousand," I said, raising the stakes.

On the other end, I heard frantic tapping on a calculator, then a sharp gasp. "Alright, I'm going all out for you!"

"I'll send you the deed photo right now. Come over as soon as you can."

"You got it! Wait for me. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

After hanging up, I walked into the bedroom.

I've lived here for five years. Every little detail in this place was picked out by me, including the couch in the living room, the curtains in the bedroom, and the desk lamp in the study.

On the wall hung our wedding photo, David's smile gentle, his eyes brimming with love.

I walked over with a blank face, took the photo down, and dropped it into the trash can at my feet. The crisp sound of glass breaking was oddly pleasing.

Chapter 2

The call connected almost instantly.

"Hello?" It was David speaking. I could hear waves and his mom, Linda, laughing in the background.

"Why didn't the nurse show up?" I asked.

There was a pause on his end, and the music faded. "Amelia? What's wrong? Did the nanny take a day off?" He sounded all innocent and lost, like he was trying to act but totally failing.

"David, I'm asking again. Where's the nurse?"

The waves were still crashing in the background. He went quiet.

"So?" I pressed.

"So we used the money that was supposed to go to the nanny for now. Amelia, think of it as us borrowing it for a bit. We'll pay you back when we get home."

Borrow? Like it was nothing to him.

"And what about the baby? And me?" I asked, my voice flat.

"It's only a few days. You can handle it for now, right? Back when my mom raised me, there was no nurse, and she got through it fine. Try to be more sensible about this," he said.

Be sensible. There it was again.

Ever since I married him, Linda never stopped reminding me to "be sensible."

"Amelia, you need to be sensible. David's our only son."

"Amelia, you need to be sensible. Richard and I can't help with the mortgage, so you two are on your own for that."

"Amelia, you need to be sensible. We're not in great shape, so you'll have to handle more when it comes to the baby."

And now, even my husband was using those words on me.

It was only the fifth day after my C-section, and my wound was still bleeding.

"That's my own money," I said, making sure he heard every word.

"I know you earned it. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?" David's voice got louder. "We're family. Why are you drawing lines between us?

"My mom's not feeling well. Do you want her to get sick because of this? Can't you cut us some slack?"

I let out a soft laugh. "David, I bought this house before we tied the knot."

He froze. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"My parents paid the down payment. I've been covering the mortgage on my own. The title's got only my name on it."

"I'm letting you know," I said, and hung up right away, not giving him a chance to rant or argue.

I stared out the window. The sky was gray, like how I felt inside.

No, my heart didn't have a color anymore. It died hours ago. Now, it was only something beating to keep me alive.

I pulled out the property deed, took a clear shot of it with my phone, and opened up the biggest real estate app in the city.

I found a star agent's number and made them a call. "Hi, I want to sell my house."

"Which property are we talking about?" the agent asked.

I told him the address.

"Oh, Sunnydale Residences, right? That's a prime location. Ma'am, your place is worth about—" he said.

"I don't care about the market price," I cut him off. "There's only one thing I want."

"Go ahead."

"I want it paid in full within twenty days."

The agent paused for a while. "Ma'am, twenty days... That's pushing it. With the usual process, the fastest we can manage is over a month."

"I'll take 100 thousand less than the market price."

The agent went silent.

"150 thousand," I said, raising the stakes.

On the other end, I heard frantic tapping on a calculator, then a sharp gasp. "Alright, I'm going all out for you!"

"I'll send you the deed photo right now. Come over as soon as you can."

"You got it! Wait for me. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

After hanging up, I walked into the bedroom.

I've lived here for five years. Every little detail in this place was picked out by me, including the couch in the living room, the curtains in the bedroom, and the desk lamp in the study.

On the wall hung our wedding photo, David's smile gentle, his eyes brimming with love.

I walked over with a blank face, took the photo down, and dropped it into the trash can at my feet. The crisp sound of glass breaking was oddly pleasing.