Chapter 4

I checked everything in chronological order, and it wasn't until two in the morning that Rachel suddenly sent me a document she'd just pulled.

It was an amendment to the family trust.

Dated 2023. I read on, and my finger slowly stopped.

The document was clear. If Louis's marriage ended before a specified date, a portion of his assets would be redistributed under the new trust arrangement.

Less than two months from now. I stared at that date for a long time.

So that was it. They'd planned this all along. And all those years I spent paying down the mortgage, holding the household together, covering Louis's living expenses, I'd just been finishing the last step for them.

Rachel sent another message. "One more thing you might need to know."

Right after, a property file. The lakeside villa I'd always assumed belonged to Louis's father was indeed owned by Nelson Holdings.

But earlier this year, the company's equity had changed hands. On the new beneficiary list, one name appeared.

Joyce Bennett.

I sat in the dim living room, the pale light cutting across my face, my whole body cold. So they were waiting for me to pay off the last of the mortgage. Then they'd leave me with nothing, kick me out, keep the house and the company for Louis, and move Joyce into the lakeside villa.

Eight years.

Those two words felt unbearably heavy.

I used to think Louis forgot our anniversary because he was too busy at work. That he didn't want to renovate because the company really was short on cash. That he didn't want me working outside the home because he genuinely cared.

Every single time he said it was "for the family," I was the one footing the bill for his plan.

I put the documents back in order and slid them into a folder.

The next morning, when Louis got up, I was already at the dining table.

"Why are you up so early?"

"Couldn't sleep."

He walked to the coffee maker and poured himself a black coffee like always. "Don't worry. The company's cash flow will recover soon."

"Mm."

He didn't notice anything off about me. Or maybe he'd never really paid attention to me at all.

He grabbed his car keys to leave, and I suddenly called out, "Louis."

"What is it?"

I looked at him. "What do you think of the house we're living in now?"

He paused for a second. "It's nice."

"What if one day we didn't live here anymore?"

He was quiet for two seconds, then smiled. "Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"

"Just curious."

He walked over and ruffled my hair. "Don't overthink."

Then he bent down and kissed me. "See you tonight."

After the door closed, I sat alone at the dining table.

I looked at that door and thought the kiss was ridiculous.

All these years of marriage, I'd managed the home, organized the accounts, carried the risk, even paved the road ahead for him. And when the road ran out, he planned to leave me behind.

Too bad. He didn't know I'd already seen the end.

I opened my laptop and created a new Excel file.

File name: Divorce Asset Division.

I started entering the first asset. The lakeside villa.

Second, company shares.

Third, investment accounts.

Fourth, that so called family holding company.

Then every dollar that had left our joint account over the past eight years.

Amount, date, purpose, final destination.

I listed them one by one. No anger. No tears.

Only cold, hard numbers.

By the end, I noticed something interesting.

Louis spent three years designing this divorce.

It took me four days to take his entire plan apart.

I saved the file and sent it to Rachel.

A few minutes later, she replied. "Ready to go to war?"

I looked at the screen and smiled.

They wanted to wait until the end of October, until the marriage was over, until I knew nothing, and keep everything that was mine. They even expected me to walk away on their schedule.

So I'd end this game early.

I picked up my phone and sent Rachel one last message.

"Start preparing the divorce papers."

Eight years of marriage, and to Louis it was just a cost he could calculate precisely.

But he forgot. Marriage isn't a ledger. And I am absolutely not an asset he can write off after he's done with the math.

This time, I'll make him understand.

What real division looks like.

Everything he swallowed from me, from my father, I'll make him give it all back.