My Wife Was Obsessed with Bartering

"Ryan, weren't you supposed to be spending the summer at your grandpa's? What are you doing here?" I, Caleb Comb, asked.

My son Ryan Comb said nothing. He only looked at me with undisguised annoyance.

I stood in the entryway and glanced around the apartment.

Aside from the neighbor's free-range eggs and hens, the blanket and stroller I'd prepared for our second child had also been moved here by Tina Arthur, my wife.

I held my breath for a moment.

I was about to speak when Tina walked out of the bedroom with a plate of fruit.

The moment she saw me, she froze.

She then ran over in a few quick steps and snapped angrily, "Caleb, you followed me!

"I was only helping our neighbor out. Are you really going to accuse me of something because of this?"

I explained, "I wasn't following you. I just wanted to see how difficult your neighbor's situation really is.

"If he genuinely can't afford to support himself, I'm willing to help him apply for assistance through the community. You don't have to keep giving away things from our home–"

Before I could finish, Tina impatiently raised a hand and cut me off. "So at the end of the day, you're just too stingy to spend your money!"

Tina looked me up and down. Her gaze stopped at my stomach. "You're always staying out all night, claiming you're entertaining clients. And you have the nerve to accuse me of cheating?

"Maybe you're the one doing something behind my back. Otherwise, how could you have ended up with such severe stomach perforation and massive internal bleeding? You even ruined our chances of having another child through IVF!"

I stared at Tina in disbelief.

We had been through thick and thin together for over a decade.

I never imagined she could say something like that.

Back then, she had secretly paid the down payment on this luxury apartment in the city center.

She then secretly sold my old car for slightly over ten grand and used the money to fund a luxury car that cost fifty grand.

Just like that, our family ended up with nearly 300 grand in debt.

I thought the two of us would work hard together and slowly pay it all off.

Instead, Tina simply quit her job and said, "You only live once. Freedom is meant to be enjoyed while one's still young."

The five-grand monthly mortgage payment, our living expenses, and Ryan's preschool tuition all fell on my shoulders.

I had no choice but to spend my days entertaining clients and working for commissions.

She wanted a second child but complained that her health wasn't good enough, so I worked myself to the bone, hoping to take her overseas for the best IVF treatment available.

Guess what? I nearly died after suffering massive stomach bleeding at a business dinner from working myself too hard.

I had barely recovered for two weeks before I went back to working myself to the bone to keep up with the mortgage.

Now she had the nerve to turn around and blame me for ruining my health and destroying our chances of having another child.

I took a deep breath and was about to speak.

Suddenly, my father-in-law, Josh Arthur, came storming out of the bedroom with a dark expression.

He raised his hand and slammed it hard against my back. He struck me dozens of times after that.

"What are you two yelling about? You're both grown adults. Don't you have any sense?

"The baby just fell asleep. If you wake him up, I'll beat you to death!"

Pain shot through my back and spread throughout my body.

I gasped and immediately headed for the master bedroom.

'So all of you care that much about this neighbor, huh? I'm going to find out exactly who this neighbor is!'