Chapter 4

That night, Edward came to find me again. "Are you really trying to tear this family apart?"

I was sitting at my desk, working on my laptop, and didn't look up. "If you want this family to go back to normal, it's simple. Drop the fifty-fifty rule, hand over your salary, and let me manage all the bills.

"Or, you pay for your family's expenses yourself and stop dumping them on me."

"Why should I hand over my salary?"

"Then leave things the way they are."

"So you're going to keep sulking and let the whole house turn into a mess?"

"Edward," I closed my laptop and turned my chair to face him, "this family didn't end up like this because I'm sulking.

"It's because you want to split everything, but still expect me to play maid for your whole family for free, like before. You've gotten used to having it easy, and now that the gravy train's over, you're the one who's pissed."

His face flushed red. "When did I have it easy?"

I pulled out my phone, opened up my notes, and scrolled all the way to the top. "First year of marriage, renovations cost 40 thousand dollars. I paid 33 thousand.

"Second year, you traded in your old car, and I covered the 12-thousand-dollar difference. From January to March this year, household expenses were 8 thousand dollars, and you only paid 800."

I went down the list.

His face drained of color.

"I've always remembered, but never said a word. Because I figured we're family, and there is no need to nickel-and-dime each other," I said.

I set my phone down. "But you were the one who brought up splitting everything. So from that moment on, I won't dig up the old bills, but from now on, every cent gets counted."

He stood there, opening his mouth a few times, but nothing came out.

Finally, he managed to say something. "You're kind of scary now."

"No, I'm seeing things clearly," I replied.

That night, I couldn't sleep.

It wasn't because I was sad. It was because I suddenly realized the real problem between Edward and me wasn't about splitting everything 50/50.

It was that he never treated me as an equal.

He figured that since I made less, I should pick up the slack.

He thought that making more gave him the right to set the rules.

He brought up splitting the bills not to be fair, but to save money, like his dollars mattered and mine didn't.

This imbalance had been there since the day we got married, but I never said anything.

Now that I finally did, he couldn't handle it. But I wasn't about to pretend nothing happened.

Another week went by.

Amelia was leveling up her cooking skills.

Edward, grumbling all the way, started buying groceries, but only for himself and his family.

The fridge was split down the middle: my stuff on one side, theirs on the other.

Emily stopped using my laundry detergent, but she started using my dryer, not the one she'd bought, but the one that came with the place when I moved in.

When I saw it, I didn't say a word. I snapped a pic with my phone for the record.

That afternoon, I got a call from an unknown number at the studio. "Is this Ms. Neal?"

"Yes, that's me," I replied.

"This is James Carter from Oceanview Realty. I work with Edward. I was at your place for dinner once," he said.

I thought for a second. He probably meant the night we ordered takeout.

"Hi, Mr. Carter," I said.

"So, our company's got a new commercial complex project, and we're looking for a design firm to handle the space planning and decor. The budget is 260 thousand dollars.

"Mr. Landon recommended a few big firms, but I heard you do this too?" he said.

I was caught off guard. "How did you know?"

"Last time I was at your place, I saw a space design magazine on your coffee table. I flipped through it and saw a project from your studio. It was really well done," he said.

"Thanks."

"Would you be available for a more detailed discussion?"

"Sure."

After hanging up, I sat back in my chair and thought it over.

With a 260 thousand dollar project budget, the design fee is usually 8% to 12% of the total, which would be 20.8 thousand to 31.2 thousand dollars.

If I landed this, the studio's revenue for the year would be set.

Here was the tricky part. Edward worked at that company. He was involved in this project, and he'd recommended other firms.

I wondered how he'd feel if I barged in through another route.

I thought about it for three seconds.

It was none of my business.

I gave Chloe a call. "Huge job came in. Start working on the proposal."

She was super excited after hearing the details. "260 thousand dollars? When do we get to meet them?"

"Scheduled for next Tuesday."

"Okay. I'll have the proposal ready in a few days."

I hung up the phone.

My coffee was cold. I took a sip. It was bitter.

Next Tuesday came around fast.

Chloe and I headed over to Oceanview Realty.

James led us into the conference room, the projector already set up and ready to go.

Right at the door, I saw Edward's nameplate. The Regional Sales Director's office sat at the end of the hallway.

He had no clue I was showing up today.

Chloe took the lead in the presentation, while I handled the proposal and answered any technical questions.

After forty minutes, James and the two department heads he brought along kept nodding in approval.

"Ms. Neal, your proposal is a lot more practical than what the big firms came up with. And you've got the budget under control," James said.

"Thanks. Our strength is that we're hands-on and see the project through from design to construction coordination," I replied.

"That's really important," James said, flipping through the proposal. "I'll report this to the higher-ups and get back to you this week."

I nodded.

As we stepped out of the conference room, we ran right into Edward at the corner of the hallway.

He was holding a coffee cup, and the second he saw me, he froze. "Susan? What are you doing here?"

With Chloe standing next to me, it wasn't the time to get into details.

"I'm here for a work thing," I said.

"What kind of work thing?" he pressed.

"Something with your company," I replied.

His expression went from shocked to totally baffled. "Y-You're actually going after one of our projects?"

"Not exactly. Mr. Carter invited me over," I said.

He glanced at Chloe, then at the proposal in my hand, his lips twitching in annoyance. "Susan, do you have to make a fool of yourself everywhere?"

"Mr. Landon," Chloe cut in, her voice cool and professional. "We were formally invited to present our proposal. Please be respectful."

Edward shot Chloe a look but didn't say another word.

I ignored him and walked off toward the elevator with Chloe.

As the elevator doors slid shut, Chloe leaned over and whispered, "Your husband is a little awful."