All Chapters of Husband on Approval: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The next morning, Lynette Kensington flipped to the last page of my ledger.The divorce agreement lay pressed against the bottom of the drawer, hidden from sight. She didn't see it. All she saw were the dense columns of numbers in front of her.She tapped an entry with her fingertip, her tone calm. "Why was the water and electric bill 3 dollars higher than last month?""It was cold. The water heater ran longer," I replied."Harold, 3 dollars isn't much. But it's exactly these small things that ruin a habit."She uncapped her pen and wrote beside the entry: [Keep this under control.]I stared at those four words and suddenly felt as though three years were a very long time. Long enough for her to forget that I'd never kept track of any of this before we got married.Just then, my mother called. She coughed twice before asking with a laugh, "Harry, the hospital says I need a contrast MRI for my follow-up. Isn't 136 dollars too expensive? A regular scan should work too."I tighten

I sold my wedding ring.The buyback price came to 8,400 dollars, enough to cover the deposit for my mother's surgery.As the clerk sealed the ring in a plastic bag, she asked, "Are you sure you don't want to think it over? There's still a name engraved inside the band."I shook my head. "No need."The ring had originally cost 56,000 dollars. Lynette had slipped it onto my finger with her own hands, promising that I would never have to worry about money again. Now it was worth exactly one surgery.…When I returned from the hospital, Lynette was sitting in the living room. The receipt from the buyback shop lay on the coffee table."Where's the ring?" she asked."I sold it.""Why didn't you wait for my approval?" she demanded."My mother couldn't wait."Her brow creased slightly. "I already talked to the doctor. The surgery can be pushed back a week.""The bed goes to someone else today," I said."If it does, we'll switch hospitals," she countered."The lead surgeon only ha

The big screen went dark all at once, and every piece of live-broadcast equipment in front of Lynette lit up red at the same time.[Dispute over core design copyright detected. Launch suspended.]…By the time Lynette tracked me down at the hospital, my mother had just been transferred out of the ICU.She slammed the divorce agreement onto the table. The pages skidded across the surface and stopped at my feet."Who gave you permission to freeze the brand? Harold, do you have any idea how much we lost tonight?" she demanded furiously.I tucked the blanket securely around my mother's shoulders."Keep your voice down," I said."So now you care about other people's comfort?" She barely kept her anger in check. "Jay is cornered backstage by reporters. Our partners are demanding triple damages. You walked out without saying a word, then froze the entire copyright on top of it. How am I supposed to clean this up?"Denise turned from the window. "Ms. Kensington, Mr. Weston didn't free

I reopened the studio after three years. The sign outside was thick with dust, and the key stuck twice before the door finally opened.The tools on the desk were exactly where I had left them.Lynette stood in the doorway but did not come inside. "The landlord said you're renewing the lease for five years.""Yes.""The Kensington Group could give you an entire floor of office space," she pointed out."No need.""What about equipment and a team?" she asked."Already hiring."She set a contract on the desk. The Kensington Group was willing to return the Glimmer project to me, preserve my full design credit, and give me ten percent of the brand's profits."What's the condition?" I asked."Withdraw the divorce filing."I shook my head. "Then there's nothing to talk about."Lynette pressed her hand against the contract. "This is the opportunity you used to want most.""I used to want your respect too."The sound of workers carrying equipment drifted in through the open window.

On the day of the divorce mediation, Lynette arrived 20 minutes late. She wore the same dark gray coat she had worn when we registered our marriage. The cuffs were already worn thin."Traffic," she said.I checked the time. "40 minutes left before this ends."The mediator asked about the division of assets.Lynette listed the marital home, our savings, and her shares in the Kensington Group. She offered all of it to me."I only want him to withdraw the divorce," she claimed."No," I said."Then the house is yours. The shares are yours too. We can delay the divorce for a year," she suggested."No."She turned to me. "Harold Weston, what exactly do you want from me?""Sign it."Lynette pressed her hand against the agreement. "I've already cut off contact with Jay. Every dollar he misappropriated has been recovered. I've fixed everything that bothered you.""He was never what bothered me," I said."Then what was it?"I looked at her. "It was having a 102°F fever and needing