Chapter 1
After three years of marriage, I finally realized that I had never had access to my husband's bank account.
Every month, 13,000 dollars were transferred to my mother-in-law's account, not a single cent left.
I didn't make a scene, didn't cry, and didn't even question it.
A transfer order landed on my desk: Sylvaria, six months.
I signed it with a smile.
The day I left, he didn't even bother to look at me.
But by the fifth month, he totally lost it.
My phone blew up with 74 missed calls and 142 messages.
The last one said, "Please come back. Mom took all the money..."
*****
The property management called.
"Ms. Carter, the property fee for your home this year still hasn't been paid.
"The system shows it's already a week overdue."
"Okay, I'll take care of it right away," I replied.
I hung up.
I pulled up my banking app.
Found our go-to debit card.
This was the card we used for all our household bills.
Every month, I'd transfer part of my paycheck into it.
David's salary? I'd never seen a dime of it.
He always claimed his expenses were huge, and whatever was left, he'd sock away.
I believed him.
I tapped "Pay" and entered the amount: 4,300 dollars.
A red pop-up flashed on the screen.
"Insufficient funds."
I froze.
No way.
At the very least, there should be 10 grand in this account.
I tried again.
"Insufficient funds."
I tapped on the account details.
Available balance: $0.40.
I exited the app and took a deep breath.
Maybe he used some money recently and just didn't tell me.
There should be cards at home.
I pulled open the drawer under the TV cabinet.
Inside was a metal box stuffed with all kinds of documents and cards.
I spilled all the bank cards out onto the table.
Seven in total.
I went through them one by one.
First card, available balance: $1.2.
Second card, available balance: $0.3.
Third card, available balance: $0.8.
Seventh card, available balance: $0.
I added up all the balances.
4,300 dollars for the property fee.
Our entire household only had three dollars left to our name.
My head was buzzing.
Three years of marriage.
I never managed the money.
David always said men should be in charge of the cash, and he'd never drop the ball when it came to anything important.
He said I was way too sloppy to handle it.
I believed him.
I sat on the floor, staring at the pile of plastic cards.
The door opened.
David was back.
He changed his shoes and saw me sitting there on the floor.
"Why are you sitting on the floor? Isn't it dirty?" David said.
He tossed his coat onto the sofa and headed straight for the fridge.
He grabbed a can of Coke.
I watched his back.
"David," I called.
"Yeah?" He popped the tab and took a big gulp.
"Where's all our money?" I asked.
He paused for a moment. "What money?"
"All our bank cards combined only have three dollars left," I continued.
He turned around, his brows furrowed as he looked at me.
"Why are you rummaging through my things?"
The first thing he did was point fingers at me.
"The property manager wants 4,000 dollars for the fees."
"Oh. Go ask my mom for it then," he said.
"What?" I asked.
"All the money's with my mom. She's holding onto it for us. It's safe," he replied.
"And your salary?" I pushed.
"She has that too," he said.
"13,000 dollars?" I asked in puzzlement.
"Yeah. What's with you today? Why are you suddenly acting like a detective? It's better for my mom to hold onto the money than for you to blow it all."
He finished talking and didn't spare me another glance.
He walked right past me and headed straight for the study.
He slammed the door shut with a bang.
He fired up his computer and slipped on his headphones.
Intense gaming sounds blared from under the door.
I was still sitting on the floor.
The living room lights were off.
The city lights outside blazed brightly.
But not a single one of those lights could pierce the darkness inside me.
I grabbed my phone and found the bank that issued David's salary card.
I called customer service.
Using his ID number, I reset the password.
Then I logged into the mobile banking app.
I tapped on the transaction history.
Every single transaction was there, neat and orderly.
For the past thirty-six months.
Every month on the 15th.
Deposit: $13,000.
On the same day, or the very next day.
Transfer: $13,000.
Recipient: Linda Shaw.
That was my mother-in-law's name.
I logged out and stared at the final account balance.
$0.
I laughed.