The Fake Broke Challenge Committee

I was holding a glass of milk when my hand paused midair. Several texts had popped up one after the other.

[Is that dumb woman making you dinner? My wife doesn't treat me that way anymore and keeps asking for a divorce instead.]

[That's why we shouldn't marry smart women. We should marry women like Maisie Stratford who are obedient and know their place.]

[Don't be jealous. Sam is such a professional. He acts as if he is super broke, prompting his wife to go as far as to pick up leftover vegetables at the market for free. It’s a pity he can't be nominated as a best actor with acting chops like his.]

Maisie Stratford knew her place and picked up leftover vegetables at the market...

I lowered my eyes to look at my sweater, which was frayed and worn. There were even holes in my sleeves.

It was true that I went to the market last month to pick up leftover vegetables. It was because Sam told me that his company had not paid him in three months and, after calculating every cent I had, it was still not enough to pay our rent.

I put down my glass of milk and picked up Sam's phone. His password was my birthday, and he had specially set it up in front of me, sure that I would never check his phone. If I had not seen his texts by accident, I would never have looked into his phone.

The chat group was called 'The Fake Broke Challenge Committee', and I tapped to bring it up. There were seven members in total, and I started to scroll through the chat history. They had a shared file called 'The Fake Broke Challenge Rules'.

I clicked on the file.

The first rule stated that if the woman suggested she would become the family's breadwinner, the challenger would gain 50 points. All I could hear was ringing in my ears.

During the first winter of our marriage, Sam was sitting on the sofa, looking ashamed as he told me that his company was about to go bankrupt. I held his hand and comforted him by telling him that I would take care of him financially.

Sam buried his face in my palms as his shoulders quivered. I thought he was crying, but now that I think about it, he must have been laughing instead.

The second rule stated that if the woman was willing to give up their career or an opportunity to be promoted at work, the challenger would gain 50 points.

During the second year of our marriage, I had an opportunity to be transferred and promoted to another location. My salary would have doubled and I would have had a bright future in my career.

I spent three sleepless nights filling out the application. I passed the interview and was announced as the chosen candidate.

That day, I bought some steaks and went home happily. Sam remained silent for a long time as his eyes turned red from trying not to cry. "What's going to happen to me if you leave for two years, Maisie? Are you leaving me behind?"

I withdrew my application the next day, and my superior looked at me in disappointment. "You're too focused on your love life, Maisie. This is a great opportunity. You'll regret it if you give it up."

The fifth rule stated that if the challenger pretended to be sick or got into a serious accident, and the woman refused to leave his side, no matter what, he would gain 50 points. There was a note in red on the side, 'Sam's wife used all her savings on him, an additional 20 points.'

Sam was in a car accident last year, and his medical bills, which included hospitalization, cost close to $15,000. That amount was my total savings, which I had saved up for years.

I was slightly hesitant, but Sam was sobbing while saying to me pitifully, "I'm so useless. I haven't even given you a good life, yet I’m already being a burden to you. I'd rather kill myself than make you suffer."

He wanted to jump off a building after that, and I paid his medical bill with my savings because I could not bear for him to lose his life.

…

The ninth rule stated that if the woman got an abortion, the challenger would gain 50 points.

At this point, my hands started to tremble. I had gotten pregnant six months ago, but Sam did not look happy when I shared the news with him. Instead, he looked troubled, and he banged his head against the wall.

I hugged him to calm him down, and he said with tears brimming in his eyes, "Our living conditions are so horrible right now. The baby would only suffer after being born. We should abort it rather than let our child suffer along with us.

However, I refused, but he continued to talk me into it. "Honey, we can have another child in the future."

I cried the entire night, and got the abortion the next day.

Sam waited for me outside the surgery room, and he put a coat over me. That coat was a birthday present I bought for him that cost $280 after discount.

When I gave him the present, he told me to return it because it was too expensive, but I refused because I felt that he was worth all the good things in life.

It turned out that, from his perspective, the one thing that was unworthy of anything was me.