Chapter 2

I silenced my phone and tossed it onto the passenger seat.

The only sound in the car was the GPS.

"Turn right at the next intersection to get on the beltway," the navigation instructed.

I'd been married to Cassie Levy for five years. In those five years, I'd bent over backwards for her and her family.

Her brother, Adam, hadn't held a proper job since he graduated.

One day, he'd open a milkshake shop. Then, he'd launch some kind of studio.

All told, I'd sunk over a hundred thousand dollars into his schemes. Every last cent went down the drain.

Cassie's mom was always in and out of the hospital.

Private hospital VIP rooms, medical bills, nursing care, every penny came out of my pocket.

Cassie never contributed a dime. She always said whatever she earned was being saved for our "future together."

I believed her back then.

I always thought, between husband and wife, there was no need to draw such clear lines. My money was our money.

That was until about two weeks ago.

Adam started dating a girl, and she made it clear she wouldn't marry him unless he had a house of his own.

Cassie came to me and said, "Adam's my brother. I should help him. You're his brother-in-law. It's only right for you to help out too. I've found a villa I like. I want you to pay for it."

I asked her, "How much?"

She said, "1.8 million dollars."

I was silent for a long time.

My money didn't just fall from the sky. I earned it one deal at a time, grinding through endless nights and negotiations.

I asked her, "So how much are you putting in?"

Cassie shrugged. "Isn't my money supposed to be saved? We'll need it for retirement and the kids' education."

I stared at her, and she looked at me like it was the most natural thing in the world.

For the first time, I felt something break inside me.

But in the end, I still said yes. I told her, "Alright, but let's just call it a loan."

Cassie grinned from ear to ear. She said, "Come on, we're family. Why talk about loans?"

Thinking back now, I can't believe how naive I was.

My phone kept lighting up.

Cassie, her mom, Adam... They all called me one call after another. A relentless barrage. I didn't pick up a single one.

When I got home, I threw myself onto the couch.

The place was huge, and so empty.

This was the flat we bought when we got married. It was more than two thousand square feet.

The mortgage had been paid off. The deed was in my name. This was the one thing I wouldn't give up.

I closed my eyes, and I felt my head was spinning.

'My money is mine. Your money belongs to the family.' Cassie's words kept bouncing around in my mind.

Each time, it stung like poison.

I pulled out my phone, hesitated for a moment, then found the number and dialed.

I said, "Hello, is this Fraser Russell? I'm Jacob Wade."

I continued, "Yeah, I've got a few questions I need to ask. It's about divorce and protecting my premarital assets."

There was a brief silence on the other end.

Then, Fraser asked, "Mr. Wade, are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure," I replied calmly.

After hanging up, I felt the weight in my chest shift, just a little.

I heard the lock turn. Cassie was home.

She burst in, her eyes blazing red.

She shouted, "Jacob! So you think you're tough now? Too good to answer my calls?"

She threw her bag onto the couch, hard.

Cassie demanded, "You better explain yourself, right now!"

I stared at her and asked, "Explain what?"

Cassie demanded, "Why did you talk about me like that? Why did you have to make my family lose face out there?"

I shot back, "Lose face?"

I stood up and got right in Cassie's face.

I said, "You take my money to buy your brother a house, and put his name on the deed. Is that supposed to be something to brag about?"

Cassie screamed, "He's my brother! My only brother! He's getting married! What's so wrong with me helping him out?"

I replied, "You're not wrong. You make a million dollars a year. You could help him yourself.

"You could pay the 1.8 million dollars and buy him that villa yourself. I wouldn't say a word."

"You..." Cassie choked, words caught in her throat.

She then shot back, "Jacob, we're married! We're supposed to be a team! Why are you drawing such a hard line between us?"

I nodded. "Exactly. We're married and supposed to be a team. So, let's get divorced. Assets split fifty-fifty."

Cassie froze, completely shell-shocked. She stared at me like I was a total stranger.

"You... what did you just say?" she stammered, her voice trembling.

I repeated, "I said, let's get divorced. I can't live like this anymore."

"Divorce?" Cassie's voice sounded strangled, barely able to get the word out.

She took a step back, pressing herself against the wall.

"Jacob, you're really going to divorce me over something this trivial?" she asked.

I stared at her and sneered. "Trivial? So in your eyes, me emptying my money to buy your brother a house is just a small thing?

"You really think it's nothing, acting like everything I do is just expected? And our five years together, you treat me like a cash machine? That's 'trivial' too?"

My voice wasn't loud, but every word landed like a hammer blow. Each one pierced straight through her heart.

Her face went ghostly pale. "I didn't... I didn't mean it like that..." she stammered.