Chapter 2

By the time I got home, my husband had placed a spending limit on my pregnancy.

The notification appeared before I had taken off my coat.

Credit limit updated: $300 per month.

I stood in the entryway and read it twice.

The specialist had completed the test, but the results would take two days. To make sure our baby received it, I had signed Ethan’s agreement.

He had approved the $6,800 payment while Vivian watched.

Then they had left together.

My coat was still damp from the rain. Cold water ran from the sleeve to my wrist, but I did not move.

A second notification appeared.

Medical reserve access: Approval required.

Then a third.

Maternity care budget: Suspended pending review.

The care budget paid for my blood pressure monitor, medication, and the nurse who visited twice a week.

Ethan had not limited shopping.

He had limited the things keeping our baby safe.

I opened the credit card app.

The available balance was $43.18.

My fingers turned cold around the phone.

Every single safety net I had for this baby was gone.

The door opened. Ethan walked in.

He loosened his expensive silk tie. He did not ask about the baby’s heart. He did not ask if I was okay. He looked completely relaxed, like it was just a normal Tuesday.

"You locked the accounts," I said. My voice was very quiet. It did not even shake.

"I restricted them," Ethan corrected. He took off his watch. "I actually started arranging this a month ago."

A month ago. He planned this while I was buying baby clothes. He planned this while I cooked his dinners and massaged his shoulders after work.

"Today proved it was necessary."Ethan said."Since you became pregnant, you’ve been too emotional to make financial decisions."

I pressed my palm against the edge of the table.

I wanted to remind him that I had managed the finances for his first company. I had negotiated contracts while he was still borrowing money for office rent.

I wanted to ask when pregnancy had made me stupid.

"Half of the money in that medical account is mine. I transferred my own salary into it every single month. I gave up buying clothes and skincare to save that money for our child."I said.

Ethan sighed loudly. He looked at me with deep exhaustion.

"And you were going to waste it all today," he said. "You became too emotional after getting pregnant, Clara. You panic over every minor ache. You let the hospital trick you. Vivian reviewed our finances. She said we need a strict budget to stop your irrational spending."

I looked back at my phone screen. I scrolled to the bottom of the account settings.

Under 'Account Administrator', my name was gone.

Vivian Vance was typed in its place.

For a moment, I could hear nothing except the refrigerator motor.

His ex-girlfriend. His new "financial advisor." Ethan had given her the power to approve or deny my medical funds. My baby's life was literally in her hands.

Vivian was not family.

She was not my doctor.

She was not the mother of this child.

Yet if I collapsed, she would have more control over my medical money than I did.

Ethan watched me. He expected me to argue. He expected me to cry and beg. He wanted me to prove that my baby and I were worth his help.

I did none of those things.

"I see," I said quietly.

For three years, I gave him my savings, my time, and my loyalty. I supported him when he started his business. I thought we were building a family together.

I was so wrong.

I closed the joint banking app. I opened my private, personal bank account. I had a small emergency fund left from before our marriage.

I saved every single record. Then, I opened my contacts. I found the number of an old friend who was now a top divorce lawyer.

I sent him the screenshots.

[Please review these], I typed. [My husband cut off my medical funds today.]

The screenshots already showed what another argument would not change.

[I need you to draft a divorce agreement.]

The lawyer replied almost instantly:

[When do you want to start the process?]

I looked at my suitcase in the corner of the room. I placed a hand over my belly.

"Now," I replied.