Chapter 3

That one sentence was all it took.

Everyone else already knew.

I was the only one still waiting for October 19th.

I looked at Adam. "When did you two get married?"

He was silent for a few seconds. "September 12th."

That night, he was still having dinner at my place.

I spent two hours cooking ribs for him, and after eating, he said they were too sweet. Before he left, he hugged me and told me the wedding stuff was a mess, and I shouldn't worry about the apartment.

Turns out, by then, he was already someone else's husband.

"How long were you planning to keep this from me?"

"I was going to wait until after the reception to tell you, so you wouldn't show up and cause trouble."

I stared at him. "You even planned for me to show up and make a scene?"

He cut in quickly. "I should've told you about the marriage license sooner. That's my bad. Now that you've shown up here, don't expect me to stop the whole wedding to give you an explanation."

Mary let out a sigh. "Five years together and you still never got married. Seriously, haven't you caught on yet?"

She dropped her voice, like she was really trying to spare me the embarrassment. "If Adam was ever serious about you, would he have dragged it out this long? Sophia moved in, and boom. They got their marriage license right away."

I looked at her. "So what happens with the apartment?"

"Obviously, the apartment goes to Adam."

"I paid the 287,000-dollar down payment myself."

She didn't even hesitate. "But whose name is on the deed?

"You were the one who wanted to pay for it back then. You two were all lovey-dovey, and now that you're breaking up, you're trying to get back every dollar? Do you really think that's going to make you look good if people find out?"

I snapped, "Cut the crap. So how much are you giving me back?"

Adam finally spoke up. "Nobody said you wouldn't get your money."

"How much, then?"

He didn't answer.

Mary's face darkened. "All you ever talk about is money. You two are already done, and you still show up at the hotel to demand cash? Don't you care about saving face at all?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Funny, you sure acted all high and mighty when you took my 287,000 dollars."

Adam cut Mary off. "Tomorrow at three, be at the apartment. Money and the apartment, we'll settle it all in one go."

"Is Sophia going to be there?"

He looked straight at me. "She's my wife now. If you want to talk about the apartment, you can't leave her out."

I didn't ask any more questions.

Back at the front desk, I told them to put the transfer of my 12,000-dollar deposit on hold.

The staff agreed right away. "If the reception goes ahead, Mr. Carter will have to cover the rest himself."

As I walked out of the hotel, Mary texted me. [Emily, let me give you a piece of advice. It's fine to fight for your dignity, but if you really push this all the way, you might not even walk away with 33,000 dollars.]

I stared at those words, 33,000 dollars.

287,000 dollars.

Five years.

And in their eyes, all of it was only worth 33,000 dollars.

The next afternoon, I showed up at the seventeenth floor right on time.

There were three cups of tea set out in the living room.

All three of them were there.

There was a file folder on the table.

Adam slid an agreement across the table to me.

The title read: [One-Time Settlement and Release Agreement.]

He said, "Sign it. 33,000 dollars will be transferred to you right now."

I looked down at the agreement.

The 33,000 dollars was written as a goodwill payment after breaking up, not paying back what he owes me.

Once I took the money, I'd have to drop any claims about the apartment, the furniture, or anything else, ever again.

I looked up. "287,000 dollars, and you think 33,000 dollars is enough to buy me off?"

Mary cut in without missing a beat. "Listen, that 33,000 dollars is Adam throwing you a bone for five years together. He doesn't owe you anything."

"If he really doesn't owe me, then why are you so desperate for me to sign that release?" I asked.

Her face froze.

But Adam slid another stack of papers over to me. "Everything from before is already squared away."

On top was a list.

Birthday gifts, trips, hotel stays, everyday transfers, even the 160-dollar he topped up for my phone bill five years ago was on there.

I stared at it for a couple of seconds. "So now even a dinner counts as paying back the down payment?"

Mary jumped in, "So after five years together, Adam's money doesn't matter?"

"Next time he goes after a woman, make sure she signs a receipt for every meal." I shot back.

Her face darkened.