Chapter 1

The first thing Alexis Lomb said when she came home was, "Drop the lawsuit."

She placed the court summons on the dining table. Her tone wasn't one of negotiation. It was more of a decree.

I folded the last shirt and put it into my suitcase.

She said incredulously, "You're taking me to court over a necklace?"

Then, she sat across from me and rambled, "Wesley just started working for me, and his birthday happened to fall right after we wrapped up the project. I'm his boss. Was it really so unreasonable for me to give him a gift?"

I closed the suitcase and said, "No."

Her expression softened slightly. "Then, withdraw the lawsuit. I'll go to court with you tomorrow and explain everything."

"I'm not withdrawing it," I said.

Alexis stared at me for a few seconds before suddenly picking up her phone.

A moment later, I received a text from the bank. "The supplementary card ending in 7319 has been suspended."

"I'm suspending the card until you calm down," Alexis said.

She leaned back in her chair, her tone still perfectly composed. "You've been spending more and more recklessly lately. You spent over 7,000 dollars on medical tests without thinking twice, and now you're hiring a lawyer. I'm not punishing you, Emmett. I'm helping you cut your losses."

I stared at the message and, surprisingly, felt no shock.

For the past three years, every argument had gone the same way. She never yelled or threw things. All she had to do was tap a few buttons, and I couldn't buy a bottle of medicine or call a cab. I couldn't even buy Dad a bag of fruit without checking my balance first.

Seeing that I wasn't responding, Alexis softened her voice. "I know the nodule scared you. But since the results show that it was benign, that proves my judgment was right. There was no reason to let something like this push us toward divorce."

I countered, "And because it turned out to be benign, refusing to get it checked was the right decision?"

Alexis replied, "At least it didn't cause us any unnecessary expenses."

She answered so quickly that it sounded as though she'd already done the math.

I picked up my suitcase. "Keep the card."

Alexis stood up and blocked the doorway. "Where are you going?"

"To my dad's place."

"There isn't even an elevator at that old, decrepit building. You won't last more than a few days there."

Alexis grabbed the handle of my suitcase and patiently reminded me, "And what about his blood pressure medication and insulin shots every month? Haven't I been paying for all of that? Even if you try to punish me, your father will be the one to suffer."

My hand slowly tightened around the suitcase handle. "How much have you spent on him in the past three years?"

Alexis frowned. "What's the point of keeping score between husband and wife?"

I shot back, "You're the one who loves keeping score."

I pulled out my phone. "I've listed his medical bills, holiday gifts, and two physical exams. It comes to 24,300 dollars in total. When the court divides our assets, you can deduct it from my share."

Alexis' voice takes on an icy edge. "Emmett, you don't have an income. What share could you be entitled to?"

I looked up at her.

I had contributed 450 thousand dollars from selling my small apartment before we got married toward the down payment on our house. During the two hardest years of her startup, every household expense had come out of my savings.

Later, when her father, Robert Lomb, suffered a stroke, I quit my job and spent four full years taking care of him. However, in her eyes, I had no income, so I had no share in our assets.

Alexis realized she'd gone too far. She reached out to touch my shoulder.

She explained, "I'm not denying everything you've done, but you can't put a dollar value on sacrifices like that. If you leave me, who's going to support you? Who's going to pay for your insurance?"

I stepped away from her. "We can discuss all of that in court."

I dragged my suitcase toward the door.

She didn't stop me again.

She simply said from behind me, "I won't pay your father's life insurance premium next month."

I stopped for half a second.

Alexis picked up the court summons and held it out to me. "Fill out the withdrawal request and send it to me. Once I approve it, I'll reinstate the card and the insurance."

I took the paper. Then, right in front of her, I slowly tore it in half.

Just then, Alexis' phone rang.

Wesley Leach's anxious voice came through the speaker. "Alexis, my landlord told me I have to move out tonight. I don't know who else to turn to..."

Alexis glanced at me, grabbed her car keys, and headed for the door.

Just before leaving, she stopped and said, "Think it over tonight. If you withdraw the lawsuit by tomorrow morning, I'll pretend none of this ever happened."

The door closed behind her.

A moment later, my phone vibrated again.

This time, it was a photo from my dad, Vincent Selcer. He was holding a notice stating that his insurance payments had been suspended. Beneath the notice, the name of the person who had requested the suspension was unmistakable.

It was Alexis.