Chapter 1

My father-in-law, Richard White, made a single phone call and fired the caregiver who had been taking care of my mother-in-law for five years.

Then he turned to me and said, "We don't need outsiders in this house. Quit your job and come back to take care of your mother-in-law."

I didn't say a word and went to work as usual the next day.

But as soon as I got to the office, the HR manager, Eleanor Johnson, stopped me. "Sophia, your husband submitted your resignation last night, and the boss has already approved it."

I froze, my mind going completely blank.

That afternoon, I only did three things.

When my husband got home that night and discovered the locks were changed, he called me, demanding to know what was going on.

I said, "You made decisions for me, didn't you? Well, now I'm making my own."

*****

I had arrived at the office.

The HR manager, Eleanor, stopped me at the elevator.

She had a weird look on her face. "Sophia Carter, can you come with me for a moment?"

I followed her into the office, and my heart skipped a beat.

Eleanor glanced at me and said, "So your husband, Eric White, submitted your resignation online last night. "Since your signature was on it, I processed everything right away.

"Mr. Anderson has already signed off on it."

My mind went completely blank.

Eleanor slid the tablet across the desk to me.

It was a resignation form.

Applicant: Sophia Carter.

And right below that was my electronic signature.

The date was last night at ten o'clock.

I didn't get home until 9:30 last night after working overtime.

Eric brought me a cup of hot milk and told me I'd worked hard.

He also said he'd support me no matter what I decided.

As I stared at that signature, it felt like my blood ran cold.

Eleanor glanced at me and asked gently, "Sophia, is everything alright? Did you and Eric plan this together?"

I didn't say a word.

I pulled out my phone.

I opened the WhatsApp group chat called "One Big Happy Family."

The latest message was from half an hour ago.

My father-in-law, Richard White, sent a voice message. His voice was loud and proud, carrying a smug authority that brooked no argument. "Sophia's already quit her job. She'll be moving back in tomorrow, so everyone can relax."

Emily White replied instantly with a confetti emoji. Emily: [This is great. With Sophia coming back to look after Mom, I don't have to cancel the annual beauty salon membership I got this month. Eric, you're awesome.]

Then came Eric's reply. Eric: [We're family, of course it's what we do.

[Dad, let the caregiver go. No need to waste money.

[Mom's got me and Sophia here to take care of her.]

I stared at the words "of course it's what we do" on the screen, and for a moment, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I could feel my fingers start to shake.

Then, I started laughing, couldn't help myself.

Eleanor looked at me like I'd lost my mind. "Sophia?"

I looked up, the smile still lingering on my lips, but my eyes were cold as ice. "Eleanor, Eric is the only one who knows my computer password. That signature? It's a forgery. I'm not quitting."

I stood up, turned on my heel, and strode out of the office.

Back at my desk, I grabbed the office phone.

I dialed three numbers in a row.

The first call was to Alexander Anderson's secretary. "Ms. Lawson, this is Sophia. I need to speak with Anderson for five minutes, right now."

The second call was to my private lawyer. "Mr. King, check all the joint assets under my name and Eric's, real estate, cars, stocks, bank accounts. Freeze everything immediately."

The third call was to the moving company. "Hi, I need to move out ASAP. The address is..."

After hanging up, I sat down at my computer and started wrapping up my work files.

It was like nothing had ever happened.

But that cup of hot milk was still burning in my stomach.

So now you get to decide my life for me, Eric?

Did you ever ask me what I wanted?

Do you really think you get to call the shots for me?

Fine.

Today, I'll show you exactly what I'm capable of.

My coworkers could sense the tension around me, no one dared to come near.

An hour later, Alexander called me into his office.

He looked serious, but there was no blame in his eyes. "Ms. Carter, I've heard the details from Ms. Lawson."

I handed Anderson the file. "Mr. Anderson, here's the proof that Eric forged my signature, the login IP from last night and my own written objection. I'm officially withdrawing my resignation, and I reserve the right to take legal action against Eric."

Alexander looked over the file, then met my gaze. "Don't worry, the company backs you up. I'll take care of HR."

"Thank you, Mr. Anderson."

"Keep up the good work."

I stepped out of the office and took a deep breath.

At two in the afternoon, the moving company called. "Ms. Carter, we've packed up everything and moved it to your new address."

"Thanks, really appreciate it," I replied.

I left work early.

I went back to the house where Eric and I had lived together for three years.

No, now it was mine. My home.

The house was mine before I ever got married, my parents bought it for me.

Eric's name was never on the deed.

I swapped out every smart lock in the house and programmed them with only my fingerprint and password.

After I finished, I sat down in the empty living room.

Except for the sofa and the TV, everything that was mine or that I'd bought was gone.

The place felt so empty, it was like I was sitting in a cave.