Chapter 1

I had never seen his paycheck card before.

We'd been married for five years, and every month he'd transfer 1,500 into my account for living expenses.

"Is that enough?" he asked.

"Yes," I said.

I had always assumed he earned 2,500 a month, giving me 1,500 and keeping only 1,000 for himself. I felt bad seeing him work so hard, so I never spent money frivolously.

Today, while going through a drawer in his study, I found a bank card. I checked his account on my phone and discovered he was actually making 60 thousand a month.

*****

The card was dark blue. It was a personal bank card from Wells Fargo.

At first, I thought it was just some company backup account or maybe a reimbursement card.

But I couldn't resist and hooked it up to my phone banking.

I had to guess the password three times before I got it right.

The first try was our wedding anniversary. It was wrong.

The second try was his birthday. It was also wrong.

The third try was his mother's birthday. It worked.

I gave a wry smile.

The bank statement showed that this card averaged 66 thousand a month.

The latest payment was 76 thousand dollars, deposited just three days ago.

I stared at that number for five whole minutes, unable to look away. It was 66 thousand dollars.

Every month for five years, he sent me 1,500 dollars for living expenses.

I thought that was over 60% of his income. It turned out it was only 2.5%.

I remembered last month, when I wanted to buy a winter puffer jacket.

I found one at the mall for 420 dollars. I tried it on three times, but in the end, I just couldn't justify the expense.

On the way home, I searched for a lookalike online and settled for one that cost 100 dollars.

When it arrived, I was actually pretty happy. I took a photo and sent it to him: [Does it look good? Cheap and good-looking.]

He replied simply: [Looks good.]

Back then, I thought he had it tough, earning 2,600 dollars a month, giving me 1,500, and only keeping 1,100 for himself. I made sure not to waste any money. What a joke.

He was making 60 thousand a month. And to think, I couldn't even bring myself to buy a 420-dollar puffer jacket.

I slumped in the study chair and started going through his transactions one by one.

His income mostly came from two places. One was called EverReach Tech, and the other was EverReach Capital.

I knew the first one. That was his company, and he was the technical director there. But I had never heard of the second one.

Then I started scrolling through his expenses. Every month, there were three fixed payments. First, it was 1,500 dollars to me. Second, it was 2,600 dollars to his mom, Avery Quinn. And the third, it was 5,000 dollars to someone called Elizabeth Vaughn.

I froze. Who was Elizabeth? I'd never even heard her before.

I opened WhatsApp and searched for Elizabeth in his contacts, but I found nothing. I pulled up his phone contacts. There was still nothing.

But the bank statement showed he'd been sending 5,000 dollars to this person every month, for four years straight.

I kept scrolling back, trying to find when the first transfer happened. It was March 2020.

We got married in August 2019. So, just six months after we got married, he started sending money to Elizabeth.

During these four years, he transferred 5,000 dollars to her every month. That added up to 240 thousand.

My hands started trembling. Just then, I heard keys turning in the lock. He was home.

I shoved the bank card back into the drawer, closed the banking app, and hurried out of the study.

"You're back?" I called out from the living room, doing my best to look normal.

"Yeah," he said, kicking off his shoes and tossing his briefcase onto the couch. "What's for dinner?"

"I made grilled lamb chop," I replied.

"Okay," he said. He headed into the kitchen, served himself some soup, and sat down to eat.

I sat across from him, quietly watching him eat.

He picked up a rib with his fork, chewed thoughtfully, and asked, "Where did you buy these lamb chops today? They're pretty good."

"From the stall at the east end of the market," I said, "5 dollars a pound. I bought a pound and a half."

He nodded and kept eating.

The lamb chops cost 7.5 dollars. I remembered it so clearly because I'd checked my wallet before heading out to the market, just to make sure I had enough cash.

At that moment, the whole meal just felt bitterly ironic.

Here I was, counting every penny on 5-dollar-a-pound lamb chops, while he was sending 5,000 dollars every month to some woman I'd never even heard of.

"Honey," I couldn't help but say.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Who is Elizabeth?" I asked.

His fork froze for a second.

Just for a moment, then he kept eating as if nothing happened. "Which Elizabeth?"

"Do you know anyone named Elizabeth?" I pressed.

"No," he said. "Why do you ask?"

"It's nothing," I said, lowering my head. "Someone in the neighborhood group chat mentioned that Elizabeth was looking for someone. The name just sounded familiar."

"Oh," he said. "I don't know her."

He didn't look at me once the whole meal.

That night, after his shower, he said he was sleepy and went to bed early, lying there scrolling through his phone.

I was in the kitchen washing dishes, peeking at his back through the kitchen door.

He had a faint smile on his lips as he scrolled through his phone.

I used to think it was just work stuff making him smile. Now, I wasn't so sure.

Once he was asleep, I got up and headed to the study.

This time, I took screenshots of every single transaction on that card.

From March 2020 to November 2024, it was four years and eight months. 5,000 dollars every month, and it added up to 240 thousand. But that wasn't all.

I noticed that besides the regular transfers, there were also some pretty hefty payments that didn't follow any pattern.

In April 2021, he transferred 100 thousand. Note: [Down payment.]

In August 2022, he transferred 26 thousand. Note: [Renovation.]

In May 2023, he transferred 15 thousand. Note: [Car.]

Every single payment was sent to Elizabeth.

I sat frozen in the chair, cold all over. 100 thousand was for the down payment, 26 thousand was for renovations, and 15 thousand was for a car.

Add in the 5,000 he sent her every month, and over four years, he'd blown 380 thousand on this woman.

And me? Our apartment was bought before we got married, and it was in his name.

When we renovated, my mom chipped in 15 thousand, and I threw in all my savings. Together, it was 40 thousand.

He poured 380 thousand into Elizabeth, while I only managed to put 40 thousand into our home.

The real irony? For five years, I actually thought he was broke.

I was always pinching pennies. I never let myself spend more than 100 dollars on a single piece of clothing. I used whatever skincare products were on sale at a shop.

Every time I craved, I'd have to double-check if it fit into my monthly budget.

I really believed I was doing it all for us. It turned out that all my scrimping was just so he could support that woman named Elizabeth.

I set my phone down and closed my eyes. A voice in my head kept asking. Who was Elizabeth? Was she a colleague? An ex? Or—

I didn't dare let my mind go there. But I knew I had to find out the truth, no matter what.