Chapter 1

My husband, Edward Landon, made 300 thousand dollars a year, and he wanted to split everything down the middle.

I didn't argue or make a scene. Instead, I nodded. "Sure."

Edward looked surprised, probably not expecting me to agree so easily. "You agree?"

"You said it yourself. Fair is fair," I said, loading the dishes into the dishwasher. "From today on, you pay your half of the mortgage. I'll pay mine. We'll split the utilities and property fees fifty-fifty."

He let out a sigh of relief and leaned back on the couch, scrolling through his phone. "That's the spirit. Everyone's all about being independent these days."

I didn't respond and went back to the bedroom.

We'd been married for three years. I quit my job at a foreign company and started a small design studio with a friend. It was still new, so my income was all over the place.

Some months I made about 10 thousand dollars, other months a few thousand.

Edward was a regional director at a publicly traded real estate company, making 300 thousand dollars a year, plus quarterly bonuses.

The night he brought up splitting everything down the middle, I scrolled through my phone's notes app.

Over the past three years, I'd paid for more than seventy percent of everything at home, from big stuff like renovations, furniture, and appliances to small things like groceries, fruit, and snacks.

Edward saved his money, invested it, bought some funds, and every now and then treated himself to a watch or a pair of shoes.

I never made a big deal out of it.

But since he was the one who brought it up, I wasn't about to back down.

Three days later, I got home from work and opened the door.

There were three people sitting on the couch in the living room.

It was Edward's mom, Amelia Landon, Edward's dad, Samuel Landon, and his sister, Emily Landon.

Emily was holding her three-year-old son, Leo, and there were two big suitcases on the floor.

"Amelia? Samuel? Emily?" I said.

Amelia stood up and took my hand, her face full of gentle warmth. "Susan, Samuel's back has been acting up lately, and I can't manage everything alone back home.

"Emily's been having trouble with her husband, so she brought Leo and doesn't have anywhere else to go. Edward said we could stay here for a while."

I turned to look at Edward.

He came out of the kitchen carrying a glass of water, acting like everything was perfectly normal. "It's only for a while. We've got three bedrooms and a living room, so there's plenty of space."

I didn't say anything.

Emily looked up and gave me a quick smile to say hi.

Leo was squirming in her arms, his shoes leaving a gray mark on the couch cushion.

I glanced at the gray mark. "Sure."

There it was again.

Edward let out another sigh of relief.

That night, I made four dishes and a soup.

All six of us sat down at the dining table.

Amelia took a bite of the ribs and nodded. "Susan, you're a great cook."

Emily didn't say a word, kept picking at the fish belly with her fork.

Leo knocked over his plate onto the floor.

Emily glanced at it but didn't do anything.

I grabbed a rag and crouched down to clean it up.

After dinner, I cleared the table, washed the dishes, wiped down the table, and mopped the floor where Leo had made a mess.

Edward was in the living room watching TV.

Amelia was in her room video chatting.

Emily was in the guest room, trying to get Leo to sleep.

Samuel was out on the balcony smoking.

Not a single person glanced into the kitchen.

The next day, the day after that, and the day after that, it was the same routine.

I did the grocery shopping, cooked, washed the dishes, mopped the floor, and cleaned up all the messes Leo made.

On the fifth night, I sat by the bed and did the math.

Groceries for five days were 280 dollars.

The electric bill was over forty kWh higher than at the same time last month.

The water bill hadn't come in yet, but I was running the washing machine three times a day for laundry.

The bathroom was packed with toiletries for five people, and the body wash I bought was already gone in three days.

Edward said we should split everything down the middle.

Edward wanted to keep it fair.

On the sixth morning, I didn't go grocery shopping.

At noon, Amelia called, "What's for dinner?"

"I don't know. I'm busy at the studio, so I might be home late," I said.

"So what are we supposed to eat?"

"There are some veggies in the fridge. You can have the salad."

I hung up.

At eight that night, I got home.

The atmosphere in the living room was tense.

There was a plate of salad on the table. It looked awful, way too salty, and half the leaves were wilted.

Edward was sitting at the table with a sour expression. "Why is there only one plate of salad?"

I set my bag down and slipped into my slippers. "What did you expect?"

"There are six people in this house, and you only made one plate of salad?" he said.

I pulled out a chair, sat down, and took a bite of the salad. "I didn't make this. Amelia made it, didn't she?"

Edward didn't say anything.

"This whole split-everything-down-the-middle thing was your idea," I said, staring at him. "I've spent over 300 dollars on groceries, utilities, and daily stuff in the last five days. How much did you actually pay me back?"

He frowned. "It's not about the money."

"It is about the money." I pulled out my phone, scrolled through my notes, and shoved the list in his face. "Ribs, fish, shrimp, beef, the coffee beans your dad wants, and the makeup remover Emily wanted?

"Every single thing was paid for by me. What did you pay for?"

"I paid the mortgage."

"That's your half of the mortgage. We're splitting things fifty-fifty, remember? You brought your whole family here, and now you expect me to pay for everything you guys eat and use?"

Edward slammed his fork down on the table. "Seriously, Susan? Those are my parents. You can't even cook one meal for them?"