Chapter 3

Money never betrays you. Feelings do.

With that thought in my head, I walked straight out of Wynn Group, already considering what came next after leaving.

I had barely driven out of the parking garage when my phone buzzed twice.

It was a payment alert.

Nina had charged twenty thousand on my card. Again.

Everyone assumed I married Nina for money, but the truth was she controlled all my cards. She insisted her own income had to be invested into the company, so for years every expense—rent, food, utilities, gifts, daily spending—came out of my salary and whatever extra I earned from my side work.

I agreed since I believed a man should shoulder more for his family, so I never argued.

Not until recently, when I realized something strange. I made good money, more than enough, yet somehow I had no savings. Not a cent was spared, and I was always short.

I finally cracked and checked my statements. That was when I found out that Nina regularly used my card to buy gifts for Zach.

A gaming console worth thousands.

A tailored suit costing over ten grand.

On Zach's birthday, she'd booked the entire wing of the five-star Aurelia Grand Hotel, worth over a hundred thousand, to celebrate him.

Meanwhile, I had worn the same underwear for two months, and she still refused to replace them. Anything over a hundred dollars was "too expensive". For my birthdays, she scribbled a card, saying she wanted to save money for "our future".

I couldn't hold back anymore, so I confronted her.

Nina's face went cold. She accused me of not trusting her. Then she froze me out and declared she would never use my money again.

Thinking about all that, I still called her.

I dialed more than ten times. Not once did she pick up.

So I stopped hesitating and went straight to the bank to report that my card was lost.

Less than a minute later, Nina called back.

"I was busy just now and didn't see your calls. What's up?" she said, feigning innocence.

"My problem's already solved," I replied evenly.

"Oh."

"Your card isn't working. It's frozen," she added.

"I know." I didn't hide it. "I froze it."

"What did you do that for? Do you have nothing better to do?"

"Maybe. But didn't you say you wouldn't use my card anymore?"

Nina faltered.

I had never once quarreled with her about money before Zach intervened in our lives.

When she first started Wynn Group, I had fallen seriously ill. The surgery cost a hundred thousand. At that exact time, she had secretly invested everything she had into a project and lost all of it.

She thought I'd rage and break down. Instead, I comforted her. I told her money was small stuff and that my money was hers to use first.

I thought giving wholehearted love would make our marriage stronger. Instead, it only taught her how far she could push without consequence.

Nina didn't think that deeply. After two seconds of silence, she sighed. "Alright, I get it. You're still mad I didn't go on the honeymoon. You're throwing a tantrum. Darren Cole, I actually thought you'd grown more mature. Turns out you're still this petty.

"I promise you, after this, I'll drop everything and go on the honeymoon with you, okay? I didn't bring my card with me today. Unfreeze it now. Stop being dramatic. Tonight's dinner is really important."

To make sure I obeyed, Nina added one last threat before hanging up. "You have ten minutes. If you don't do it, I'm going to be angry."