All Chapters of Canceling a Marriage With a Spending Limit: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

The first thing Alexis Lomb said when she came home was, "Drop the lawsuit."She placed the court summons on the dining table. Her tone wasn't one of negotiation. It was more of a decree.I folded the last shirt and put it into my suitcase.She said incredulously, "You're taking me to court over a necklace?"Then, she sat across from me and rambled, "Wesley just started working for me, and his birthday happened to fall right after we wrapped up the project. I'm his boss. Was it really so unreasonable for me to give him a gift?"I closed the suitcase and said, "No."Her expression softened slightly. "Then, withdraw the lawsuit. I'll go to court with you tomorrow and explain everything.""I'm not withdrawing it," I said.Alexis stared at me for a few seconds before suddenly picking up her phone.A moment later, I received a text from the bank. "The supplementary card ending in 7319 has been suspended.""I'm suspending the card until you calm down," Alexis said.She leaned back

Chapter 2

When I rushed to Dad's place, he was crouched on the floor and picking up scattered pills. He hurriedly stuffed the notice behind his back.Dad said, "The system probably made a mistake. I'll go to the bank tomorrow and ask them about it. Don't fight with Alexis."I helped him up and brought him over to the couch to sit down.I said, "It wasn't a system error. She suspended it."Dad was stunned. "Why?""Because I'm divorcing her."He was silent for a long time before finally asking, "Was it because of the medical tests?"I didn't answer.Dad gently patted the back of my hand. "Em, I have a pension. If the insurance gets canceled, so be it. Don't go back and beg her for my sake."The more he said things like that, the harder it was for me to look him in the eye.All these years, Alexis had always claimed that Dad depended on us.However, whenever Dad came over for dinner, he brought his own groceries. Whenever we gave him money on his birthdays, he put it away untouched into

Chapter 3

The next day, I took Dad to the bank.He pulled out a savings book and placed it beside me. Dad said, "There's 280 thousand dollars in here. Your mother left this behind. I was planning to give it to you once you had a child."I pushed it back to him. "Dad, I can handle this."Dad argued, "You have to check your balance before you can even afford a bus ride. How are you supposed to handle it?"His eyes reddened as he continued, "Em, I used to tell you to put up with things. I thought that as long as Alexis wasn't cheating on you, she was a good wife. Well, I was wrong."I pushed the savings book back toward him. "My lawyer has already filed for an injunction to preserve our assets. I'm not walking away with nothing."Just then, Alexis' lawyer called.He said in a polite tone, "Mr. Selcer, the marital home was purchased under a contract signed before your marriage, so in principle, it's Ms. Lomb's premarital property. Ms. Lomb considers the 450-thousand-dollar down payment you

Chapter 4

Alexis lowered her voice and warned, "Move. Don't make me call security."I gripped the doorframe. "Give me my ID and my mother's bracelet, and I'll leave right now."Molly walked out of the living room without a trace of panic on her face. "Recording us won't help you. We were just organizing documents. Nothing we said shows that we're trying to take what's yours."She opened the safe and took out a folder. "If you want them, sign this first."The agreement was four pages long. I only read the first clause, and my blood ran cold.It stated, "Emmett Selcer acknowledges that the down payment on the marital home was a personal gift to Alexis Lomb."The second clause stated that I would waive my right to any division of marital assets. The third said I would assume full responsibility for any accidents that occurred while caring for Robert.The final clause required me to withdraw my divorce lawsuit."Sign it, and I'll give you the bracelet and your ID." Alexis placed a pen on the

Chapter 5

When the police arrived, Molly was still picking up the torn pieces of the agreement from the floor.Alexis stepped in front of me and said, "This is a family matter. We can resolve it between ourselves."I handed the mortgage documents and the recording to the police. "Please investigate and decide for yourselves whether it's just a familial conflict."After verifying the information, one of the officers looked at Alexis. "Did you get someone to sign the agreement on his behalf?""He couldn't come back at the time, so I got his verbal consent," she replied.I asked, "On which day did I give you that consent?"Alexis didn't answer.During that entire period, I'd been accompanying Robert to his rehabilitation sessions every day. My call history could prove it. She'd never mentioned the mortgage, let alone told me about the apartment she'd bought for Wesley.Molly cut in, saying, "My daughter earned all that money herself. What's wrong with her buying a property? Even if the pape

Chapter 6

After Alexis was released from the police station, she went straight to the hospital. She didn't enter the room. She stood outside and sent me a message.She texted, "Come downstairs. We need to talk."I replied immediately, "Talk to my lawyer."A few minutes later, she pushed open the door.The moment Dad saw her, he turned his face away.Alexis set down a fruit basket and asked, "Does your leg still hurt?"Dad responded dismissively, "Don't talk to me." His voice was quiet, but there wasn't a trace of hesitation in it. "When Em needed medical tests, you complained that seven thousand dollars was too expensive. But for Wesley's birthday, you had no problem spending eight thousand on a necklace."Alexis' face went pale. "I made the wrong call about the medical tests.""You didn't make the wrong call," I said, adjusting Dad's blanket. "You just thought every dollar spent on him was worth it, while every dollar spent on my health was a waste."She looked at me and said, "The a

Chapter 7

At our first court-ordered mediation, Alexis refused to divorce me.The mediator asked, "Is there any possibility of reconciliation?""Yes," she answered immediately. "We don't have any fundamental problems. We just handle our family finances differently."I looked at the mediator and said firmly, "No."Alexis turned her head toward me. "I've already paid all of Vincent's medical expenses, Emmett. And I've removed the spending limit from your card. I returned the money. I also gave the property documents to your lawyer."I countered, "That was only after the court froze the property."The mediator flipped through the documents. "Ms. Lomb, the petitioner claims that you subjected him to long-term financial control and forged his signature to transfer marital assets. What do you have to say about that?"Alexis spoke in a low voice. "I covered all of our household expenses. The spending limit was to prevent him from making impulsive purchases. Having someone sign the documents on h

Chapter 8

My mother left me 680 thousand dollars after she died. Alexis had kept the account and the card in her possession. The reason she gave was that I wasn't in a good emotional state and might spend the money recklessly, so she'd manage it for me and make sure it was there when I needed it.For three years, I'd never checked the balance. Now, there was only 4,700 dollars left.420 thousand dollars had been transferred to Wesley. Alexis had used the rest to pay the remaining renovation costs on our home and for Molly's vacation expenses.I placed the bank statements in front of her. "Explain."Alexis' voice was hoarse. "We were short on cash at the time. I was just moving money around temporarily."I asked, "Why did you transfer it to Wesley?""His father was sick, and he had just graduated. He didn't have any savings."I laughed at the sheer irony of the situation. "When his father was sick, apparently no amount of money was too much. But when I found a nodule in my lung, I needed

Chapter 9

After the divorce, I moved back in with Dad. His leg was recovering slowly, so I spent every day helping him with his rehabilitation.There was no 300-dollar spending limit anymore. Nor was there any requirement to photograph every receipt before I could spend anything.The first time I went grocery shopping, I bought a box of cherries that cost more than 50 dollars.When I went to pay, my finger instinctively tapped on my camera app.Dad reached over and stopped me. "You're buying groceries. Why are you taking a picture?"I froze for a few seconds before putting my phone back in my bag.The cherries were incredibly sweet. However, it wasn't until I'd eaten the third one that I realized I'd been waiting for a rejection notification that would never come.Alexis came by every week. She never came inside. She simply left medicine and fruit outside the door.Dad never accepted them.Once, she stood outside for two hours in the pouring rain.When I opened the door, her hair was c

Chapter 10

Six months later, I went back to the hospital for a follow-up exam.The doctor looked over my results. "The nodule hasn't changed significantly. We'll just keep monitoring it regularly."I put the report away. "Thank you."At the billing desk, I paid the 1,860 dollars with my own bank card.There was no application, no receipts to photograph, and no one asking whether the test was worth the money.Dad was waiting for me in the hallway, holding two cups of milk. "How were the results?""Pretty good."He let out a sigh of relief and handed me the warmer cup. "I told you to let me go in with you, but you insisted on going in by yourself."I said, "I'll have to come back for follow-ups many more times. I can't drag you along every time."Dad insisted, "Then, I'll come every time."I smiled and helped him to his feet.When we walked out of the hospital, Alexis was standing by the entrance. She had lost a lot of weight since the divorce. Right now, she was holding a small box.Th

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