Chapter 1

My wife is a gold-digger who count every single penny—but only when it comes to me.

Right after we got married, she demanded we live a strict 50/50 lifestyle just so she could keep track of every cent we spent.

It was ridiculous. If she took our daughter out and bought a $2 bag of chips, she would literally text me before she even got home, demanding her $1 back.

But things went too far when our daughter was rushed to the ER with acute gastroenteritis. I was at the front desk, waiting to pay the deposit.

When I called Chloe to split the bill, she dismissed me with a cold, uncaring text:

[You were the one watching her when she got sick. Don't ask me to pay for my half of the medical bill.]

Yet, that very same night, she was throwing down $20,000 at a VIP club, all just to get a smile from a hot male host.

Chloe was nickel-and-diming me over our daughter’s expenses again.

This time, she wanted to split the bill for a sudden trip she took with our daughter, Ruby, to a ramen shop. The bowl of ramen cost $17.

"Ruby ate most of it. She had almost the entire bowl, so let’s put $10 on her tab," Chloe said, completely serious.

"And I didn't touch the broth at all, so I’m not paying for that $3 portion. In total, you owe me $13."

As she spoke, Chloe was tapping away on her iPad, updating her digital expense spreadsheet.

It was filled with hundreds of entries tracking every single split expense over the last two years.

Everything was in there—from a $2 pack of Oreos to our mortgage down payment.

She called it a 50/50 split, but in reality, Chloe always found some absurd excuse to pay less than her half.

To keep the peace in our home, I had always swallowed my pride and let it slide.

"It’s a $17 bowl of ramen, Chloe. Do we really need to split it down to the broth?"

I sent her $100 via PayPal and muttered under my breath, annoyed. "Besides, I took Ruby to the theme park last weekend and paid for everything. I didn't ask you for a single dime."

"We’re a family. Why make it so complicated? It all goes to Ruby anyway."

Chloe always claimed she wanted a 50/50 split to keep our finances transparent and fair.

But as I watched her accept my $100 payment and log only "$17 received" on her spreadsheet without giving me change, my stomach turned.

This was her idea of "fair"?

I wanted to use this moment to finally talk about ending this toxic 50/50 arrangement.

But the moment I brought it up, Chloe lost her mind.

"It’s just a hundred bucks, Luke! Why are you being so cheap? You're a grown man!"

"I keep this ledger to protect myself. I don't want you stabbing me in the back later over money. That's the only reason."

"If I don't keep track of everything, I’ll be completely vulnerable."

Her stubbornness was exhausting.

But what really broke my heart was what she said next.

Was she seriously that convinced I would stab her in the back over money?

We had been married for years, we had a child together, and she didn't trust me even a little bit?

While I was lost in my thoughts, Chloe finished scrolling through her phone and casually mentioned that her cousin was getting married next month.

She told me to prepare a nice cash gift for the wedding registry, and that's when I realized something was off.

"Wait, didn't we agree that we would handle our own families' gift expenses? Why am I paying for your cousin’s gift?"

It wasn't even about the money.

I just remembered how, a few weeks ago, my sister had a baby. When I mentioned buying a gift, Chloe immediately shut me down.

Back then, she stood on her high horse, lecturing me about how we decided on a strict 50/50 lifestyle and that we had to stick to the rules.

But now that it was her family, the rules suddenly changed?

"But this is a family expense! Sending a good gift represents both of us!" Chloe argued.

"I swear, Luke, I never realized how incredibly petty and cheap you are. You argue over every little thing!"

When it came to splitting bills, Chloe always found a way to be right.