Bem me quer, Mal me quer.

I pushed open the glass doors of the mall and made a beeline for the Alienware store. I was immediately drawn to the gaming laptop with top specifications that cost 5,000 dollars.

A furious voice resounded from behind me seconds after I grabbed my phone to pay.

"Have you lost your mind, Charlotte Spencer?"

I turned around.

My ex-husband, Julian Hendricks, stormed toward me in his branded shoes, snatching my phone out of my hand. He was also carrying two slices of chocolate truffle cake that were packaged in intricate boxes.

I knew which bakery he had bought the cakes from. Each slice cost about 50 dollars.

"You're going to waste 5,000 dollars on a piece of junk? Cancel the transaction and wire your money into my account right now!" he roared, hurling my phone back at me.

He then turned to face the sales assistant with an icy expression. "We're not buying the laptop anymore."

The sales assistant was stunned.

"We're already divorced, Julian," I said.

"You should know your limits even when you're throwing a tantrum!" he shouted, raising his voice and attracting the attention of the other shoppers. "Your salary is only 20,000 dollars a month! How will I pay for her civil service exam if you blow through everything?"

"Whose civil service exam?" I asked coldly.

"Hannah's, of course!" Julian spat. "I already planned to use the money to pay the registration fee for an intensive bootcamp. How will she pay the fee if you use the money to buy a laptop instead?"

Hannah Gregson. She was Julian's "study buddy"—the woman he loved to splurge on for the last three years.

I had never met her in person.

Disgust churned in my gut.

For the three years that we were married, I ate bread that cost less than two dollars every day. I also ended up developing a stomach condition because I kept staying up late to work on my projects. I made so many sacrifices just so I could collect 19,000 dollars every month to give to Julian.

Meanwhile, Julian used my hard-earned money to buy high-quality meals for Hannah that cost 200 dollars each. Apparently, each meal was specially crafted to enhance one's beauty and encourage weight loss.

How dare he demand money from me to pay for another woman's expenses now that we were already divorced?

Julian assumed that I had conceded to him because of my silence. He softened his tone and reflexively reached out to adjust my pilling collar.

"I know that you've been under a lot of pressure at work, Charlotte, but we need to look at the bigger picture. Hannah will definitely remember what you did for her after she passes her civil service exam. I'll let you buy the laptop after you get a promotion and a raise, okay?"

Julian was once again spouting his disgusting, empty promises.

I took a step back, avoiding his touch. "Don't touch me. I don't like getting dirty."

Julian's face turned red as his hand remained frozen in midair.

"Why are you being so difficult, Charlotte?" he roared. "What else can you do except play games all day? You have no desire to improve yourself at all! It's no wonder you're still stuck in an entry-level job! I'm teaching you how to manage your finances. I don't want you to spend frivolously!"

I ignored him and pulled out another phone from my pocket. I opened Apple Pay and showed it to the sales assistant. "Here. Go ahead."

The terminal beeped. A message appeared on the display.

"Transaction Approved: 5,000 dollars."

Julian stared at me in disbelief. "Where did you get that money from? Didn't you give me all your salary?"

I grabbed his phone as he continued to gape at me. I then navigated to his settings and removed my card from his payment options.

"I was blind back then. I'll just consider it charity," I said. "Your personal ATM is officially out of service now."

Julian stared at the empty space where my card details used to be. He didn't care that we were already divorced. His mind had been wiped clear of all thoughts except for one.

"How will Hannah pay for her registration fee now that you've spent all your money?"