Chapter 2

"Oh, what a pure friendship." I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. "Right now, go find Braylon and get every cent of that 400 thousand dollars back for me, not a cent less."

"What do you mean? Are you seriously going to pull the rug out from under him now? Braylon's company is just starting to get off the ground!" Anabella snapped.

"I'm giving you just one day," I said, my voice completely flat. "If I don't see the money by this time tomorrow, Anabella, we'll meet at the Registry Office."

With that, I hung up, not wanting to hear another word from her.

I was afraid that if I heard one more word, I'd snap and go home to tear her apart myself.

Sitting at my desk, I was restless the whole day, unable to focus on anything.

When my coworkers asked me to join them for lunch, I just ignored them.

My boss tried to talk to me, but his words went in one ear and out the other.

All I could think about was the money.

It wasn't just money; it was my hard-earned savings, my sense of security.

I was such a fool, scrimping and saving every single day, always packing my own lunch, never taking a cab, counting every dime, all for that golden dream I thought we were chasing together.

And while I was out there busting my ass for our so-called "future," my wife just handed over everything I'd worked for to another man without a second thought, like it meant nothing to her.

The funniest part was that she actually thought she was being noble, as if she were some kind of saint.

By evening, I stumbled home like a zombie, completely numb inside.

The place was dark as hell, not a single light on. Anabella hadn't come home yet, not that I expected her to.

I headed straight for the master bedroom, crouched down, and my fingers brushed against the icy metal of the safe hidden under the bed.

I didn't need the key, just the code.

The code was our wedding anniversary. How ironic.

I punched in the code, and when the green light flashed, I opened the safe with shaking hands.

It was empty.

Not even a hint that there was ever any gold here.

I just slumped to the floor, feeling like every ounce of strength had been sucked out of me.

It wasn't until late at night that Anabella finally came home, dragging her feet and looking completely exhausted.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw me sitting there in the pitch dark.

"Arthur? Why are you sitting here without the lights on?" she asked, her voice a little shaky.

I didn't say a word. I just lifted my head and stared at her, silent and cold.

"Where's the money?" I asked.

Anabella's face went ghostly pale. She avoided my eyes and stammered, "Braylon... he said the money's all tied up in the company's operations. He can't get it out right now."

"Can't get it out?" I repeated, my voice low as I slowly got to my feet.

"He said he'll pay it back as soon as the Series A funding comes in. Arthur, can't you just give him a little more time? His project is really promising, lots of investors are interested," she said, reaching for my hand, but I yanked it away.

"So, I'm never getting that money back, am I?" I said, my voice flat and cold.

"It's not that you're never getting it back, it just needs time!" Anabella snapped, her voice rising. "Why can't you trust me? Why can't you trust Braylon? After all these years, you really think our relationship is worth less than that money?"

"Us?" I scoffed. "You mean you and Braylon, right? That's the real relationship you've been nurturing all these years."

"Arthur! That's too much!" Anabella burst into tears. "I've done everything for this family, and this is what you think of me? In your eyes, I'm just someone who always plays the savior for her old flame, right?"

"Isn't that exactly it?" I pressed, my voice cold and relentless. "Anabella, ask yourself. Who have you really cared about these past three years? You kept throwing my money at your precious first love, and now it's all gone. And you still think you're the victim here?"

"I didn't! The money will come back, I swear!" she screamed, her voice cracking with desperation.

"Fine, then let me show you just how your money's gone for good," I said, my voice icy.

I pulled out my phone and dialed a number.

It was my buddy Zain from the VC scene.

"Hey, Zain, can you check out a company for me?" I said.

"What's it called?" Zain asked.

"VR Art Gallery. Founder's name is Braylon Patton," I said.

There was a pause, then Zain let out a loud, exaggerated laugh. "Are you serious right now? Why bother checking out a scam like that? Braylon's a running joke in the VC world, just waving around a crappy pitch deck, conning investors everywhere he goes. Anyone dumb enough to put money in is just asking to get burned."

I put the call on speaker.

Anabella heard every word, loud and clear.

Her face went ghostly pale in an instant.

"No... no way..." Anabella muttered, her voice shaking as she staggered back a couple steps, like she'd just been blindsided by the truth.

Her eyes went wide as she stared at the phone in my hand, like it was radioactive or about to bite her.

"Zain must not know the real story. Braylon's project is actually really good. He showed me the pitch. There's so much promise..." she stammered, her voice trembling.

"So much promise that he's famous for being a fool in the industry?" I shot back coldly, then hung up.