Chapter 4

I slammed the door behind me.

By the time I left the apartment complex, night had fallen. Streetlights stretched down the block, and a steady stream of headlights moved along the road.

I stood at the curb as the cold wind slipped beneath my collar. Looking down, I noticed how worn my coat had become. The cuffs were frayed and faded from years of use.

I'd been wearing the same coat for three years.

Linda had never once suggested I replace it.

But whenever Howard needed clothes, she would buy him several new outfits at a time without a second thought.

I stood there for a while before opening my banking app.

The moment I saw the balance, something inside me gradually settled.

Business had been incredible today. I'd made tens of thousands in a single day.

And Linda had no idea.

As far as she knew, I was still scraping together every dollar I could, working myself to exhaustion just to build up our savings.

I'd been so excited to tell her.

Now there was no reason to.

I locked my phone and slipped it back into my pocket, then hailed a cab. "Take me to the best restaurant downtown."

The driver glanced at me through the rearview mirror, probably taking in my worn coat.

I didn't care.

I couldn't remember the last time I'd treated myself to a decent meal.

For the past six months, I'd eaten whatever was cheapest. Lunch came from the cafeteria at work. Dinner was usually a sandwich or something equally basic before I started my driving shift.

Some nights I'd stay on the road until well after midnight, my stomach aching with hunger, and still refuse to spend a few dollars on a hot meal.

Every dollar mattered.

Or at least, that's what I thought.

Every dollar I'd denied myself had ended up feeding the bottomless pit that was my brother-in-law.

Not tonight.

Tonight, I wasn't saving a damn thing.

The cab dropped me off in front of an upscale restaurant downtown.

When I opened the menu, I almost laughed. There had been a time when I wouldn't have dreamed of paying prices like these.

Whenever Linda and I went out, she'd start complaining if the bill went over 200 dollars.

But when it was Howard's birthday, she could drop a thousand dollars on dinner without batting an eye.

I closed the menu and handed it back to the waiter. "Bring me all of your signature dishes."

He hesitated. "Sir, we have seven or eight."

"Then bring all of them."

The dishes arrived one after another.

I sat alone by the window and took my time.

The steak was cooked perfectly. The wine was excellent. Even the desserts looked almost too beautiful to eat.

And with every bite, I found myself thinking about the way I'd lived for the past six years.

All those meals I'd skipped, all those things I'd refused to buy, and all those nights I'd gone hungry because spending even a few extra dollars had felt irresponsible.

For what?

When the check arrived, it came to just under three thousand dollars.

A bill like that would've haunted me for days before.

Tonight, paying it felt strangely satisfying.

By the time I got home, it was late.

I opened the door and found Linda sitting alone on the couch.

The moment she heard me come in, she looked up and stood. "Where have you been?"

Her tone was accusatory, as if somehow I was the one who had done something wrong.

I tossed my keys onto the entryway table. "Dinner."

Linda frowned. "Dinner? This late? You went by yourself?"

"Yeah."

"What did you eat?"

"I had steak, some wine, and dessert."

Her expression immediately changed. "How much did you spend?"

"Three thousand dollars."