Chapter 4

He spun around, eyes wide in shock.

"Chloe..."

"You cheated."

I didn't give him room to speak.

"My parents paid the down payment on the apartment. You don't have a claim to it."

The woman wiped her tears and sneered.

"Leave with nothing? On what grounds? You made money during the marriage too, didn't you? Doesn't he get half of that?"

I didn't even look at her, keeping my gaze locked on Derek.

"Derek, if you fight me on this, these photos go straight to your company's Slack channels."

"You've sat in that department director seat for a few years now. Time to clear it out."

His shoulders sank even lower.

He looked at me, eyes red—not with remorse, but with desperation.

"Chloe, can't we just go home and talk? We've been together for five years. You can't just cut me off with zero room for mercy."

"You paid for her Uber every single day for a year. Twenty dollars a day. That's $7,300 a year."

I looked into his eyes, enunciating every word.

"I took the bus every morning. Four dollars round trip. In the winter, my toes went numb waiting at the stop. In the summer, I sweated through my clothes. Every cent I saved went into our joint savings."

"And you used our money to keep another woman comfortable."

He said nothing.

Mia leaned against the doorframe, letting out a sharp scoff.

"Who can you blame for that? You never dress up, you don't take care of yourself, walking around looking like a tired mess. What man would stay interested in that?"

I turned my head and looked at her.

She was indeed polished.

I looked down at myself: no makeup, plain white tee, jeans, sneakers.

No jewelry on my fingers. My wedding ring had been tucked away in a drawer two years ago because it scratched the plates whenever I washed dishes.

"You're right," I smiled faintly.

"I don't dress up. Because I don't have the spare time, and I don't have the spare cash."

"My money went into our home, into this man. Into paying the mortgage, utility bills, and his mother's medical expenses."

"What about you? He bought your dress. He bought your cake. He probably paid for this hotel room too."

"You doll yourself up so nicely just waiting for someone else to pick up the tab, don't you?"

Her face turned pale, then mottled red. Her lips moved, but she had no comeback.

I turned on my heel and walked toward the elevators.

Derek dashed after me, grabbing my wrist.

"Chloe, don't leave! Let's talk at home, please?"

"Just give me one chance. I can change. I swear I'll change."

His hand was clammy and slick with cold sweat.

I pried his fingers off my wrist, one by one.

"Tomorrow morning at nine. The courthouse steps."

"If you don't show up, I'll send these pictures to your mother. She has high blood pressure—you decide if you want to risk her health."