Chapter 1
My boyfriend and I had been together for five whole years, and today was supposed to be the day we signed our marriage license and tied the knot for good.
He'd just stepped off to park his car when a female staff member suddenly tugged me aside quietly.
"Hold up a sec," she mumbled lowly. "He owns five separate houses, and every last one was bought long before you two got together—all his legal separate pre-marital property, no strings attached."
I froze on the spot, and my heart dropped straight to my gut.
Not a single word about this ever crossed his lips with me.
I kept my face calm and blank, then glanced back at the entrance. There he stood, mindlessly scrolling his phone with a lazy grin, totally clueless about what just went down.
In that split second, a sharp, well-thought-out plan popped into my head out of nowhere.
*****
Michael Summers and I were a five-year couple through and through.
Today was our big wedding day, the day we'd lock in our marriage license for real.
The city hall was dead quiet, with barely a soul hanging around.
He told me he'd go park the car and said I should head inside and wait up for him.
I nodded, slung my bag over one shoulder, and walked up the front steps slow and steady.
The midday sun blazed bright, making me squint hard against the harsh glare.
A woman in official city hall uniform called out to stop me in my tracks.
She had a warm, gentle vibe, just like an older sister, and her eyes were filled with clear pity for me.
"Miss, can I chat with you for just a quick minute?"
I stopped right where I stood.
"You're here to get a marriage license with Michael Summers, right?"
I gave her a small, quiet nod.
She stepped in close, lowering her voice to a soft whisper only I could hear.
"I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I pulled up his personal records in our system. The guy owns five residential homes."
My head spun, and I went numb all over.
"All of them are separate pre-marital properties."
She gave my hand a light, comforting pat to calm me down.
"You need to stop and think hard about what this means for your future together."
I blinked slowly, processing nothing at first.
The whole thing felt totally surreal, too wild to sink in, yet every single word cut deep and weighed heavy on my chest.
Five long years.
We'd been together ever since our college graduation day.
To cut living expenses, we crammed into a tiny, cramped rental apartment with barely any space.
No AC during the sweltering summer heat, and on the hottest nights, he'd pull me tight in his arms and whisper sweet nothings to me. "Just a couple more years, baby. Soon enough, we'll have a real place to call our own."
To scrape up cash for a down payment, I worked two side hustles, burning myself out day in and day out with no break.
He always said he'd handle all our shared bills and finances, and I never once questioned a thing.
I truly thought we were building a life side by side, chasing the same dreams and future as a team.
Five houses.
All locked in as pre-marital assets, fully under his name and his alone.
Cold dread washed over me in an instant.
I kept my expression stone-cold and glanced across the courtyard.
Michael stood under a nearby tree's shade, glued to his phone, still wearing that carefree, clueless smile of his.
That smile—the bright, innocent grin I'd fallen head over heels for five years ago.
But right then, it looked cruel and empty, straight-up painful to even look at.
He'd lied to me time and time again, hiding the truth from me this whole time.
And at that moment, I knew exactly what I was going to do next.
A bold, ruthless scheme took solid shape inside my head.
I flashed the kind clerk a soft, thankful smile.
"Thanks for filling me in. I really appreciate this."
I smoothed down my dress fabric, took a slow, steady breath, and walked straight over to Michael.
He spotted me coming and stuffed his phone right into his pocket.
"Why're you out here? I told you to wait inside the building," Michael asked, clearly confused.
"I couldn't wait any longer," I replied softly, wearing a sweet fake smile.
"I just had to see you."
His face lit up with pure joy, and he reached out to grab my hand tight.
"After today, you'll officially be Mrs. Summers for the rest of our lives," he said all warm and fuzzy.
His palm was warm and sticky, while mine turned ice cold in an instant.
When we posed for our official wedding photo, the photographer let out an awkward mumble. "The bride's smile looks a little forced."
Michael squeezed my waist playfully to cheer me up.
"Smile, honey. This is our big special day."
I stretched my lips into a perfect, camera-ready smile for the shot.
But behind that fake grin, my heart was dead set on making Michael pay for his lies.
The real game was only just starting.
We spoke our short and simple wedding vows out loud.
We signed our full legal names on every single official form.
As I scrawled my signature on our marriage license, a broken part of my old self shattered for good.
The clerk handed us our official marriage licenses.
"Congratulations, you two."
Michael was beaming from ear to ear, giddy like a child on Christmas morning.
He held up our marriage license and pressed messy little kisses all over the paper nonstop.
"We're finally married, honey!" he cheered out loud.
He pulled me into a tight, suffocating bear hug.
I rested my head against his shoulder.
Instead of the familiar, comforting laundry detergent scent I'd grown used to, I caught a faint nasty undertone—one reeking of hidden lies and calculated trickery.
I pulled away from his hug nice and slow.
"Darling," I purred the word easily, like I'd called him that a million times before.
"Let's head home."
He hesitated for a split second, then his smile widened even bigger.
"Anything you want, baby. Let's go home."
I climbed into the passenger seat of his car, staring blankly out the window as city streets blurred by past.
Five whole years of my young life, wasted on a man who'd lied straight to my face and hidden his wealth this entire time.
But none of that mattered anymore.
Starting today, I would take back every single thing I'd lost. Every sacrifice, every rough day, every tear.
And I'd make him pay every last penny back—with extra interest piled on top.