What I Inherited, What She Gave

Synopsis

The day my grandfather's inheritance hit my account, I had over one hundred eighty six million dollars. I didn't tell anyone. Not even my wife. Because I wanted to run a test. At dinner, I put down my fork and put on a face like the world was ending. "Honey, I owe one million dollars to a loan shark. It's due next month. If I can't pay, they'll break my leg." She froze for three seconds. Then she slammed her fork down on the table and tore into me. Worthless. Useless. She should have never married me. Each word cut deeper than the last. My heart sank. I was already forming the word divorce on my lips. But then, after all the yelling, she wiped her eyes and walked into the bedroom. Ten minutes later, she came out with an old tin box. Inside were a passbook, gold bars, and a five-hundred-thousand-dollar fixed-term deposit certificate. "Use this to pay it off," she said, her voice hoarse. "For the rest, I'll sell my dowry." At that moment, I felt like the biggest jerk in the world.