Chapter 3

There were plenty of flights to Aspen.

I booked the earliest one.

Its departure was set exactly half an hour before Cornelius and his family's flight to Miami.

After getting my mother checked in, I took her to wander the airport with me.

We were passing a scarf boutique when we spotted the James family.

They were on a shopping spree, arms loaded with bags.

A chill went through me, and I opened the joint account Cornelius and I shared.

In just twenty minutes, the five hundred thousand in it had dropped to four hundred seventy thousand.

And nearly all of that money was mine.

He'd been out of work for six months already.

I'd just never called it out, to let him keep his dignity.

But now he was taking the money I'd earned on grueling business trips and overtime, and spending it to make his family happy.

I let out a cold laugh and quickly transferred every cent out of the account.

From this moment on, he wasn't touching a single dollar of it.

If he wanted to keep his family happy, he could pay out of his own pocket.

When they saw us walk over, especially my mother, Selina's brow drew tight.

“Adeline, don't just go touching things. Those rough hands of yours from hoeing fields out in the countryside, if you snag a thread on that scarf, that would be a real problem!”

My mother had just taken a liking to one of the scarves.

At those words she drew her hand back, not daring to touch it.

This wasn't the first time.

She loved showing off her superiority in front of my mother.

Before, I'd always wanted to flare up to her face, but my mother would stop me.

But now I was about to get divorced.

Why should I hold back.

I turned to the salesgirl.

“Which is the most expensive scarf in your shop?”

The salesgirl's face lit up, and she quickly brought out the priciest one, packaged in a box.

“Ma'am, this is our limited edition. Only ten in the world, all hand-embroidered. The price is eighty-eight thousand.”

The moment Selina heard the price, her eyes lit up.

“Cornelius, look, this one would suit me perfectly.”

She reached out to grab it.

I slapped the back of her hand.

“Can you even afford it? And you're grabbing?”

“Hands that rough, careful you don't snag a thread on the scarf!”

Selina had never suffered such humiliation. Her mouth fell open and she made to curse at me.

But Cornelius pulled her back.

He lowered his voice and said to her,

“Mom, Layla is definitely buying this to honor you.”

“Once you have it, I'll take you a nice photo.”

Selina was won over, all her displeasure at having her hand pushed away wiped clean.

I rolled my eyes inside. Give it to her?

I'd throw it away before I gave it to her.

After paying, I took my mother's hand and headed for the door.

Selina panicked and blocked my path.

“Layla, what's the matter with you? Hurry up and hand over the scarf you bought for me. Do you expect me to ask nicely?”

Cornelius chimed in from the side.

“That's right, Layla, hurry up. I know you bought this scarf to make it up to Mom, to apologize for your mother spoiling her mood just now.”

“An apology should come with the right attitude.”

He gave my mother her orders.

“Adeline, when it's time, you hand the scarf to my mother and apologize in person.”

My mother didn't do as she was told like before. She waited for me to give the word.

Before I could speak, Eustace started grumbling too.

“Why should it stop there? She didn't only spoil your mother-in-law's mood. You have to buy me an apology gift too, no less than eighty thousand!”

The moment he said it, Cornelius's cousins joined in.

“We want one too. We got upset just now as well. Our gifts can't be less than eighty thousand either!”

“Eighty thousand this, eighty thousand that. The nerve. Do you people even deserve it?”

I was laughing now.

I looked back at Selina.

“And you, did I ever say the scarf was for you? Stop flattering yourself. This is for my mother.”

“If you want one, have your son buy it!”

I threw the words down and took my mother's hand, heading back.

The intercom was already announcing that boarding had opened for our flight. It was time to get in line.

Behind me Selina was still throwing a fit over the scarf, with Cornelius groveling to soothe her.

It wasn't until he said he'd buy her one exactly like it that she stopped crying.

Except.

I'd already transferred all the money away.

Where was he going to get the money to pay?

Sure enough, the moment we boarded the plane, Cornelius called.

Again and again.

I didn't pick up any of them.

He started texting.

【Layla, have you lost your mind?】

【How could you transfer out that four hundred seventy thousand without asking me? I don't have money to buy the scarf now, transfer it back!】

I've always kept track of my accounts, so I sent the statement over at once.

【You've been unemployed for six months, and saved a total of thirty thousand. I have four hundred seventy thousand. Today you spent it all on your family. Tell me, where in what's left is there any part that's yours?】

He was still self-righteous.

【So what? We're husband and wife. Even if I don't earn a single cent, part of what's in there is mine!】

【Hurry up and transfer the money to me, or when you get to Miami, don't even dream of staying at the hotel I booked!】

I laughed.

He wanted to threaten me with the hotel.

Well, they'd have to make it onto the plane first.

I sent back one word, 【Get lost!】, and blocked him.