Chapter 2

I was so angry, I almost laughed again.

What, was Jim some kind of big shot? Why was his emotional support worth more than mine?

A dark look appeared in his eyes.

"You're naturally better at showing affection, so it's only right that you make me feel cared for.

"I'm different. I'm easygoing, straightforward, and not good at comforting people.

"For me, it takes a lot of effort to give you emotional support. I have to learn how to do it, pay attention to your emotions, and put real thought into it."

He took a sip of tea.

"I put in a hundred times, even a thousand times more time and effort than you do. So of course my emotional support is worth more!"

His words made my head throb.

How could Jim think I was naturally better at loving people and should be the one giving all the emotional support? Had evolution somehow given me some special ability that everyone else lacked?

Other living things evolved stronger bodies and sharper minds to survive.

Was I supposed to have grown nothing but a heart that existed to take care of someone else's emotional needs?

I lowered my eyes, realizing that he had dismissed everything I had done for him as something that came naturally to me.

With one sentence, he had erased everything I had ever put into our relationship.

How ridiculous!

So he really wanted me to pay for the emotional support he had given me.

"What about all the time and effort I spent making this marriage work for the past three years?" I asked.

"That's your duty as my wife!"

Jim stood up, his tall frame making the room feel smaller.

"You should've been making an effort to put a smile on my face. My happiness is worth more than anything else. Only when I'm happy can I treat you well. Isn't that exactly the kind of emotional support women want from their husbands?"

I was so stunned that I forgot to breathe. The hurt that suddenly overwhelmed me was unbearable.

In the past, I had admired Jim's clear-headed personality most of all. I loved the flawless logic he showed during debate competitions.

I had fallen for that side of him. For the first time in his life, meeting me made him throw reason aside and fall in love with me.

My college roommates envied me because Jim, who had always seemed so distant and untouchable, had fallen for me.

So when he asked me out, I said yes.

On the first day we started dating, Jim said, "I don't want money to get in the way of our relationship. Let's keep our finances separate."

It had hurt, but I didn't want to use love to pressure Jim or make him give up his principles.

So for the next five years, we always paid our own way.

After we got married, splitting expenses became even more inconvenient. Whenever we came up short on household expenses, I covered the difference without making a fuss.

I had never thought it was worth keeping track of every little expense. We were married, and what mattered was our relationship.

But now, I finally understood. Someone as detached and rational as Jim had never had any real feelings to begin with.

"I learned how to play games just to keep you entertained. I played everything, from mobile games to PC games!" Jim said.

I snapped, "I ran to the pharmacy for you in the rain, picked you up from the karaoke bar in the middle of the night, and cleaned up your vomit when you got drunk! And now you're telling me none of that was worth as much as one smile from you?"

I smashed the glass he had just been drinking from in anger.

Then I continued, "Whenever things went wrong at work, you'd come home every day and complain about everything, like the whole world was out to get you!

"I listened to you dump all your frustrations on me every day, and did I ever complain? If you want to charge by therapist rates, I should be the one charging you!"

But the first thing he said was, "I paid 10 dollars for that glass. Remember to split the cost and pay me back."

Something inside me snapped when I heard that.

To him, I was nothing compared to a stupid glass.

Our marriage had existed only in name for a long time. I had been the one stubbornly lying to myself and looking for love in my memories.

I clenched my teeth until I tasted blood, then finally spoke.

"I won't acknowledge that bullshit emotional support bill! And I'm not paying you a single cent!"

At that, anger flared in Jim's eyes.

"I make 12,000 dollars a month, and you make 10,000 dollars. We each put 5000 dollars toward household expenses every month. So how the hell did you end up with 1 million dollars in savings after just three years?

"You know exactly where that money came from. You either stole it from me, or you sold yourself for it. You bitch!"