Chapter 1

My husband hugged me tightly at the airport, telling me he was going to Norland for three years.

I sobbed, barely able to speak, promising I'd miss him every single day. He stroked my hair softly, "Silly girl, I'll text you."

Once his car was out of sight, I wiped away my tears and made a beeline for the bank.I transferred the entire balance out of our joint account.

Early the next morning, I showed up at City Hall. The clerk looked at me and asked, "Are you sure you want to get divorced?" And I nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. The sooner, the better." She looked uncertain. "But... where's your husband right now?"

I smiled calmly, pulled out my phone and opened the location tracker. The coordinates on screen were nowhere close to Norland.

*****

The airport terminal was packed with people everywhere.

Eric held me so tightly, as if he never wanted to let me go.

His chin pressed gently against the top of my head, and there was a barely noticeable tremor in his voice.

He said, "Helen, it's just three years, take care of yourself, and be here when I get back."

I buried my face against his chest, my shoulders shaking as I tried to hold back my sobs.

Warm tears slipped from my eyes, soaking the front of his shirt.

"I... I will."Every word came out broken, for my voice was thick with emotion

"You need to take care of yourself in Norland, too," I said, my voice trembling.

"I'll miss you every single day." I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Eric seemed to relax a little at that.

He let go, gently held my face, and wiped away my tears.

"Hey, silly, what's with the tears?" he said softly.

His eyes were full of affection and tenderness, just like he always had for the past five years.

"I'll send you money, Helen. I am sure you all can make it. Once I'm settled in over there, I'll call you." Eric promised.

I nodded frantically, but my tears only streamed down faster.

Behind him, the flight to Vancouver was flashing across the screen.

The loudspeaker announced the final boarding call.

Eric's mother, Mary Holden, tugged at his sleeve.

"Come on, hurry up, don't miss your flight." she said.

Mary Holden glanced at me impatiently. It was like my tears were just holding her son back from his bright future.

Lisa Holden stood further away, arms crossed, openly gloating.

She'd always had it out for me.

Eric kissed my forehead one last time.

"I'm leaving." he said softly. He turned, grabbed his suitcase, and left.

I stood there, on my tiptoes, waving.

Tears blurred my vision, and I couldn't make out his expression.

Until he finally disappeared through the security checkpoint.

Mary Holden walked over and patted my shoulder, her voice brisk and unsympathetic.

"Alright, that's enough. Stop crying, he's already gone," she said.

"As his wife, you shouldn't act so fragile." she added.

"Eric's off to make something of himself. As his wife, your job is to stand by him and hold down the fort here." Mary Holden said.

I lowered my head, dabbing at my eyes with a tissue. "I know, Mom." I whispered.

Lisa Holden walked over, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Eric's going to be gone for three years, Helen. You'd better learn to deal with the loneliness. Don't end up like that woman in our neighborhood. Her husband barely leaves for a business trip, and she's already cozying up to someone else." Lisa added.

I stayed silent, just trembling even more.

Mary Holden shot her a glare.

"Don't talk nonsense!" she said.

Then she turned to me, her voice gentler now.

"Helen, just ignore her. We'll take you home, you're tired." Mary Holden said.

On the ride home, I leaned against the window, watching the city rush past outside.

Mary Holden and Lisa Holden chatted idly in the front, mostly about how Eric was going to make it big in Norland and how they'd both benefit from his success.

Their voices buzzed in my ears like annoying flies.

When I turned my back to him, my tears were already gone.

The car pulled up outside my building.

I pushed the door open, my voice still hoarse.

"Mom, Lisa, I'm going upstairs. I'm not feeling well." I said.

Mary Holden poked her head out the car window.

"Okay, get some rest. And don't overthink things." she called out.

I nodded and headed upstairs.

As I stepped inside and closed the door behind me, it felt like the whole world had fallen silent.

The air still smelled of Eric's cologne.

I didn't pause for a moment. I went straight to the study, turning on my computer.

I logged into my online banking account with practiced ease.

The balance of our joint account appeared on the screen.

Over three million dollars stared back at me from the display.

This was all the money we'd managed to save since getting married. Every bit of it was money I earned myself.

Eric's paycheck had run out ages ago because of his endless "business ventures" and constantly helping out his family.

I took a deep breath, my fingers flying across the keyboard with practiced speed.

I logged into my personal account and hit the transfer option.

I entered the amount: 1.18 million dollars.

I clicked confirm. My phone buzzed. It was a text with the verification code. I entered it. Confirmed the transfer one more time. Then, an alert appeared on the screen: "Transfer successful."

Seeing the number drop to barely anything in a flash, I finally exhaled, feeling a wave of relief.

Five years of marriage, five years of silent endurance.

And in this moment, it all came to an end.

I stood up and walked over to the window.

Down below, the car that brought me home was still parked outside.

Mary Holden and Lisa Holden hadn't left.

'Why are they still here?' I wondered.

Soon enough, I realized why they were still here.

Lisa Holden got out of the car and snuck into the building, clearly up to something.

An icy smirk curled across my lips.