Chapter 5 · The Unware ATM Hunsband

Chapter 5

I drove myself home, the city still half-asleep around me.

It was barely dawn when I stepped through the door.

The living room looked like it always did.

The blanket she'd used last night while watching TV was still draped over the couch.

There was a half-finished glass of honey water on the coffee table.

A sticky note was stuck to the fridge: [Remember to pay the property fees on Saturday.]

Her handwriting was round and neat, with a little flourish at the end of each stroke.

Five years.

I always thought this place was meant for both of us.

I dug out a suitcase from the closet and started packing my things.

I didn't have many clothes.

Three shirts, two pairs of pants, and a down jacket I'd worn for three years.

My laptop, external hard drive, and certificates.

My ID card, diploma, and a copy of the property deed, and the rest of my stuff.

I paid the 130,000 dollar down payment for the house, and the 1,600 dollar monthly mortgage was all on me.

But both our names were on the deed.

When we got married, Linda insisted we put Julia's name on it.

I didn't think much of it at the time.

We were family, after all.

Now that I think about it, what a joke.

I made a note about the property deed in my phone. I'll consult a lawyer about it next week,' I thought to myself.

I zipped up the suitcase and parked it by the door.

Then I sank back onto the couch, feeling the weight of it all lit up a cigarette.

Acutually, I'm not really a smoker. But today, I needed it.

The first puff burned my throat and made my eyes water.

My phone rang again. It was Emily.

I picked up.

"David, the surgery's done. My parents scraped together 60,000 dollars and paid the deposit," she said.

"Okay," I replied.

"Are you really not coming back?"

"I'm not coming back."

She went quiet for a moment. "David, I know you hate Julia. But there's something I have to say..."

"You knew about Michael, didn't you?"

There was a pause on the other end. "Honestly, I did try to talk her out of it. I really did. But she wouldn't listen."

"So that's all you did?" I flicked the ash off my cigarette. "Did you ever think about telling me?"

"I..."

"Enough," I said, not wanting to hear another word. "As long as she's alive, that's all that matters. Let her family deal with the rest. As for me and Julia, see her in court."

I hung up.

I leaned back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

I'd installed that ceiling light myself.

I drilled the holes, connected the wires, screwed everything in place.

Julia was beside me, passing me tools as I worked.

Julia smiled at me, her eyes shining. "Honey, you're incredible. Is there anything you can't do?"

What was so great about that?

All the money I earned ended up in her hands, just so she could support another guy.

Calling me a fool would be too kind. Idiot doesn't even begin to cover it.

Dumb as they come.

When I finished my cigarette, I stubbed it out right on the coffee table.

It left a black scorch mark.

I couldn't care less.

I bought this coffee table, too.

At eight, I headed to the office.

Clocked in, sat at my desk, turned on my computer like a normal day.

Joe Smith, one of my coworkers, walked over with a cup of goji berry tea in hand.

"Dave, you look rough. What happened last night?" he asked.

"Nothing. Just worked late," I replied.

"Take care of yourself."

Then he walked off.

I opened up my browser, my fingers flying across the keyboard as I looked up three things.

I searched: [How to gather evidence of asset transfers in a divorce.]

[Disposing of marital property without permission.]

[How to sue someone else for getting money they shouldn't have during a divorce.]

I went through each result one by one.

I read every word, not missing a thing.

The law says if your spouse gives away your shared money to someone else without your okay, you can demand every cent back.

Full repayment.

Over 570,000 dollars.

Plus interest.

I saved the contact info for a few law firms in my phone.

I'd call them during lunch break.

At 10:30, my phone rang again. It was Julia's number.

But when I picked up, it was Linda's voice on the other end.

"David, Julia's awake. She wants to talk to you," Linda said.

I didn't respond but just let the silence hang.

Chapter 5

I drove myself home, the city still half-asleep around me.

It was barely dawn when I stepped through the door.

The living room looked like it always did.

The blanket she'd used last night while watching TV was still draped over the couch.

There was a half-finished glass of honey water on the coffee table.

A sticky note was stuck to the fridge: [Remember to pay the property fees on Saturday.]

Her handwriting was round and neat, with a little flourish at the end of each stroke.

Five years.

I always thought this place was meant for both of us.

I dug out a suitcase from the closet and started packing my things.

I didn't have many clothes.

Three shirts, two pairs of pants, and a down jacket I'd worn for three years.

My laptop, external hard drive, and certificates.

My ID card, diploma, and a copy of the property deed, and the rest of my stuff.

I paid the 130,000 dollar down payment for the house, and the 1,600 dollar monthly mortgage was all on me.

But both our names were on the deed.

When we got married, Linda insisted we put Julia's name on it.

I didn't think much of it at the time.

We were family, after all.

Now that I think about it, what a joke.

I made a note about the property deed in my phone. I'll consult a lawyer about it next week,' I thought to myself.

I zipped up the suitcase and parked it by the door.

Then I sank back onto the couch, feeling the weight of it all lit up a cigarette.

Acutually, I'm not really a smoker. But today, I needed it.

The first puff burned my throat and made my eyes water.

My phone rang again. It was Emily.

I picked up.

"David, the surgery's done. My parents scraped together 60,000 dollars and paid the deposit," she said.

"Okay," I replied.

"Are you really not coming back?"

"I'm not coming back."

She went quiet for a moment. "David, I know you hate Julia. But there's something I have to say..."

"You knew about Michael, didn't you?"

There was a pause on the other end. "Honestly, I did try to talk her out of it. I really did. But she wouldn't listen."

"So that's all you did?" I flicked the ash off my cigarette. "Did you ever think about telling me?"

"I..."

"Enough," I said, not wanting to hear another word. "As long as she's alive, that's all that matters. Let her family deal with the rest. As for me and Julia, see her in court."

I hung up.

I leaned back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

I'd installed that ceiling light myself.

I drilled the holes, connected the wires, screwed everything in place.

Julia was beside me, passing me tools as I worked.

Julia smiled at me, her eyes shining. "Honey, you're incredible. Is there anything you can't do?"

What was so great about that?

All the money I earned ended up in her hands, just so she could support another guy.

Calling me a fool would be too kind. Idiot doesn't even begin to cover it.

Dumb as they come.

When I finished my cigarette, I stubbed it out right on the coffee table.

It left a black scorch mark.

I couldn't care less.

I bought this coffee table, too.

At eight, I headed to the office.

Clocked in, sat at my desk, turned on my computer like a normal day.

Joe Smith, one of my coworkers, walked over with a cup of goji berry tea in hand.

"Dave, you look rough. What happened last night?" he asked.

"Nothing. Just worked late," I replied.

"Take care of yourself."

Then he walked off.

I opened up my browser, my fingers flying across the keyboard as I looked up three things.

I searched: [How to gather evidence of asset transfers in a divorce.]

[Disposing of marital property without permission.]

[How to sue someone else for getting money they shouldn't have during a divorce.]

I went through each result one by one.

I read every word, not missing a thing.

The law says if your spouse gives away your shared money to someone else without your okay, you can demand every cent back.

Full repayment.

Over 570,000 dollars.

Plus interest.

I saved the contact info for a few law firms in my phone.

I'd call them during lunch break.

At 10:30, my phone rang again. It was Julia's number.

But when I picked up, it was Linda's voice on the other end.

"David, Julia's awake. She wants to talk to you," Linda said.

I didn't respond but just let the silence hang.