Chapter 1

The day I was bringing our son into the world, Andrew Carter, my husband, was having sex with another woman.

After that, I only saw Andrew as my personal ATM.

I never thought he'd end up getting laid off.

And now, he even tried to crawl back into my bed.

I couldn't take it anymore.

The day our son turned 18, Andrew even set his sights on the payout from when my family sold the old house to make way for development.

Fine. I played along, and in the end, I walked away with both cash and my freedom.

*****

On our son's big day, my older brother, Bryce White, showed up with a chunky gold chain for my son.

Andrew instantly switched to respectful mode with Bryce, dropping his usual cold attitude.

"Wow, Bryce, you're really generous," Andrew said, trying to butter him up.

Bryce didn't even bother to reply. He just slowly pulled out another pack of Dunhill from his pocket.

Andrew's eyes practically sparkled.

He quickly flicked open his lighter and held it out for Bryce.

"Bro, how have you been lately?" Andrew asked.

Bryce shot him a disdainful look but kept his face mysterious as he motioned Andrew closer.

"Our old house is getting demolished in two months."

Andrew's eyes lit up with barely contained excitement as he probed, "Any idea how much we'll get?

"These policies might look great at first glance, but most of them are just smoke and mirrors."

Bryce scoffed, "Just counting the square footage, that's already a pretty big payout."

"Plus, there's extra cash for every person in the household.

"I've got three sons."

Jealousy written all over my face, I chimed in, "Wow, Bryce, you really lucked out. If I was still registered with the family, I'd get a share too. Too bad for me."

Bryce raised an eyebrow, then let it drop.

"What are you worrying about? With Andrew around, there's no way you'd ever go hungry."

I shot Andrew a look full of wifely bliss.

Seeing that thoughtful look on Andrew's face, I was secretly pleased.

My plan might just work.

That night, Andrew actually stayed at home for once.

He'd never bothered to do anything for me before bed, but tonight, he dutifully brought over a foot bath.

I swallowed my disgust and gave him a look of fake gratitude.

He wore a gentle expression for once, but I could see the contempt lurking in his eyes.

As he massaged my feet, he said, "Lisa, you've really had it rough all these years with me."

"How could I think that? Guess I must've saved the world in my last life to end up with you," I replied.

Disgust was making my eyes sting with tears.

But to Andrew, it just looked like I was moved to tears.

Andrew's eyes lit up for a second, then his face turned bitter. "If only I had the same luck as your brother, you wouldn't have had to go through so much.

"Honestly, I've lost my job."

I pretended to be surprised and looked right at him.

He took the opportunity to wrap his arm around my shoulders, and I instantly frowned.

It wasn't his job loss that bothered me. It was just the feel of his hand on me that made my skin crawl.

It was like being licked by a filthy dog.

But then again, the day our son was born, I had already seen Andrew's true colors.

After faking it for eighteen years, this was nothing I couldn't handle.

I sighed, playing along, "Why didn't you say something earlier? I mean... There's not much I can do except hope you find something soon."

Andrew clearly wasn't satisfied with my answer.

He let out a sigh. "If only your brother would cut you in on that compensation, you wouldn't have to put up with all this."

My eyes lit up for a moment, then faded. "But I've moved out of that place. There's no way Bryce would ever give me a cut. If only I were still with my family, I could've gotten a piece of that payout.

"It'd take some of the load off your shoulders."

Andrew's eyes lit up with hope, but he didn't say anything more about it.

Just then, his phone rang. He claimed his buddies needed him for drinks and some big career talk, so he headed out.

Honestly, I couldn't care less. I just flashed him a smile and told him not to drink too much and to come home early.

After he left, I brushed off the spot on the bed where he'd been sitting, like I was wiping away something dirty.

I was wondering if I should just change the sheets.

In the end, I just went ahead and changed them.

A guy who messed with more than one woman was basically a walking disease.