Chapter 3

I arrived at Audrey's law firm right on the dot at two in the afternoon.

She was dressed in a black suit, nothing like the sporty girl I remembered from college.

"You've gotten so thin," Audrey said as she poured me a glass of water. "Sit down. Let's talk."

I laid everything out on the table.

There was the divorce agreement, the family agreement, spreadsheets exported from my budgeting app, screenshots of Tanner's spending from his phone, and the transfer records for Yumi's apartment.

Audrey flipped through each page, then took off her glasses and looked at me. "Emily, it's like you've been at war these past six years."

"I'm used to it," I said with a smile. "Being a stay-at-home mom is a lot like being a product manager. You have to keep records, manage budgets, and stay on top of everything."

She picked up the family agreement from 2018. "This is the key. It's got his signature, the date, and the terms are clear.

"Even though it's not a formal notarized document, the court will accept it."

"And this," she continued, pointing at the spending screenshots. "Infidelity and transferring assets, 160 thousand dollars sent to Yumi for a house. That's considered unauthorized handling of marital assets. You have grounds to reclaim it."

"And what about that investment property in his name? Do you know about it?" Audrey asked.

I paused, caught off guard.

"Have you checked his property records?" Audrey pressed.

I shook my head.

Audrey opened her laptop and started typing. "Last month, he transferred the two-bedroom apartment you two bought after getting married to his sister, Margaret.

"The transfer price was listed as just 100 dollars."

30 dollars? That apartment was worth at least 900 thousand dollars on the market.

"He's shifting assets," Audrey said, closing her laptop. "And he's doing it in such an obvious way. The court will have no trouble recognizing this as a deliberate, malicious transfer."

I sat there in silence, not saying a word.

A 900-thousand-dollar apartment, handed over to his sister for a measly hundred bucks.

He wasn't stupid. I simply never even registered in his eyes.

To him, I was just some housewife who couldn't even scrape together enough for a lawyer.

"Anything else you want to tell me?" Audrey leaned back in her chair.

I hesitated for a few seconds. Then I opened another app on my phone and turned the screen toward her.

Audrey's calm face turned to surprise, then her lips curled into a grin. "Emily, you're ruthless," she said.

I turned off the screen. "Hold off for now. Let's wait for his next move."

Over the next two weeks, Tanner started ramping things up.

On the first day, he froze my supplementary credit card.

When I tried to pay at the supermarket, the machine said insufficient funds.

The cashier gave me an awkward look. I quietly pulled out my debit card and paid 104 dollars for the groceries.

On the third day, Tanner confiscated my car keys.

"I need the car. You hardly ever go out anyway," he said.

After that, I started taking the bus to pick Donna up from school.

On the seventh day, Yumi made her entrance. She wasn't trying to be discreet at all.

Tanner walked her right in, bold as brass, saying they were just here to pick up some clothes for the new season.

Yumi stood in my living room, wearing a beige trench coat, flawless makeup, and strutting in high heels.

She scanned the room, her gaze openly appraising everything.

"This sofa could really use an upgrade," Yumi said to Tanner, her voice just loud enough for me to catch.

Tanner gave a small smile but didn't respond.

He headed into the bedroom to get his stuff, leaving just me and Yumi alone in the living room.

Yumi turned her gaze on me. "Come on, Emily, if you sign the papers, it'll be better for everyone."

I was seven years older than her.

"It must be tough raising a kid all by yourself, huh?" Yumi tilted her head. "I really do understand you, honestly.

"But Tanner's already made his choice. Dragging this out won't change anything."

I stayed silent.

She let out a sigh. "28 thousand dollars is more than enough. You can rent a small place, take your time finding a job, and get by."

Tanner came out of the bedroom, holding two suits. "Let's go," he said to Yumi, not even looking back.

As he walked past me, he paused for a second. "Emily, I'm telling you for the last time.

"If you don't sign by the end of this week, I'll go through the legal process. You're just a stay-at-home mom. Do you really think the court will rule in your favor?"

He let out a cold laugh. "What do you even earn in a month? 150 bucks? How are you supposed to provide for Donna with that?"

After the door closed, I stood in the middle of the living room, looking at the floor Yumi had just walked across.

Her high heels left a tiny mark in the wood floor. I crouched down and touched the mark.

Then I stood up, straightened up Donna's backpack, and made sure her clothes for tomorrow were ready.

I still had to keep going. No way was I living by his rules.