Chapter 1

After getting married, my financially savvy wife, Sophie Devine, takes charge of our family's finances. She questions me about every penny I ask for and gives me a monthly allowance of 1,500 dollars and nothing more.

Sophie holds up the bill. "What do you need the money for again? You're going to exceed your spending limit this month. I don't have any extra to give you."

I stare at the itemized list totaling 1,500 dollars. It includes our kid, Terry Parker's medical expenses and the cost of daily household necessities. I even have to cover the bill for the mess Sophie leaves behind after her business dinners.

I don't spend any of the money on myself.

Before I can say anything, Sophie's phone vibrates on the table. She answers it, her voice softening. "Emily got into a fight again? How much is the settlement this time? I'll transfer it to you right away."

Ron Gellar sounds agitated. "They want 10,000 dollars. If not, Emily is going to jail."

Sophie hangs up and immediately transfers the required amount to Ron.

Emily Gellar is the younger sister of Sophie's assistant, Ron.

Sophie is more attentive to Ron than she is to me, her own husband.

I tell her calmly, "Mom got into an accident. She needs the money for her medical bills. How much can you give me?"

Sophie casually tosses the ledger in front of me. "I told you, there's no extra money for you this month. She'll just have to hold on until next month, even if she's dying."

This time, I don't make a scene or pester her. Instead, I just nod and say okay. Then I call my mother-in-law, Gina Reed, who is currently in the emergency room. "Your daughter refuses to pay for your medical bills."

Chapter 1

A heavy sigh came through the phone. "That brat! I never imagined she'd be the death of me."

Immediately after, the voice of my mother-in-law, Gina Reed, was replaced by the frantic shouts of the medical personnel. "The patient has stopped breathing! Begin emergency resuscitation now!"

I clutched the money I had scraped together over the years and rushed to the hospital, but I was too late.

Gina had passed away after suffering massive blood loss in the accident.

I fought back the tears welling up as I held the cash in my hand.

After arranging for Gina to be taken to the funeral home, I went back home. Since she was Sophie Devine's mother, Sophie would have to handle the funeral arrangements herself.

When I opened the door, I found several people in the living room.

Emily Gellar sat on the couch with her legs crossed, streaks of blood covering her face. "Damn it. Just wait until I get my hands on her next time. What? Does she think bringing a few extra people means she can beat me? I'm Yewton's kickboxing champion."

Ron Gellar, her brother and Sophie's assistant, carefully tended to her wound with a pair of tweezers. "Listen to me, okay? Stop getting into fights. Money isn't the issue. It breaks my heart to see you hurt."

Emily shot Sophie a confident look. "What's there to worry about? No matter how much she asks for in settlement, Ms. Devine will take care of it for me."

Then she turned to look at Ron and smiled slyly. "I think Ms. Devine has her eye on you. You two should just get married."

A hint of awkwardness crossed Ron's face. "Don't talk nonsense. Ms. Devine is already married. Nothing could ever happen between us."

Sophie, who had been sitting quietly beside them, finally reacted. She stood up and patted Emily on the shoulder. "Behave yourself. Stop causing trouble for Ron."

It wasn't until my son, Terry Parker, walked out of the playroom and called out to me that Sophie and the others finally noticed me.

Ron quickly walked over to me. "Aaron, why do you look so pale?"

I ignored him and went over to Sophie. "She didn't make it. Her body is at the funeral home now."

Disbelief flashed across Sophie's face. "Just because I didn't give you money, you're going to come up with such a ridiculous lie? Your mom only has high blood pressure. How could she possibly have died from that? Besides, I'm just her daughter-in-law. It's not my duty to handle her funeral."

With that, she leaned back against the couch.

My hands couldn't stop shaking. I dared not imagine just how heartless she would be if it really had been Mom who died.

I tossed the death certificate I'd been clutching onto the coffee table and yelled, "Sophie, aren't you at least a bit upset about her death? If you think I'm lying to you, check the death certificate yourself."

Chapter 2

Sophie's gaze landed on the death certificate.

Just as she was about to make out the name on it, Emily stood up and grabbed it.

"A death certificate? You probably printed this at the shop downstairs. Let me handle this for you." A cruel smile appeared on her face, and she tore the document into shreds, dumping it in the trash can.

Sophie didn't stop her.

Even though it was the middle of summer, I felt a chill run down my spine.

Sophie was truly heartless.

I recalled the harrowing state Gina was in before she died. Clinging to her last breath, she had tried to call Sophie. But because of Emily's situation, Sophie hadn't answered.

I tried to suppress my emotions as I stared coldly at Sophie. "Sophie, let's get a divorce. I'll take custody of Terry."

Silence fell over the living room, broken only by the sound of heavy breathing.

Sophie slowly looked up and locked eyes with me. "First, you make a fuss about someone dying, and now you're asking for a divorce. Aaron Parker, what the hell is wrong with you? We have guests. Couldn't this wait until later?"

I swallowed hard. "Let's just settle it right now. After all, you're always busy. If I miss this chance, I don't know how long I'll have to wait again."

Sophie looked at Terry. She brought him into his bedroom and locked the door.

Meanwhile, Ron and Emily knew things were about to get awkward, so they wisely took their leave.

Only Sophie and I remained in the living room. She lit a cigarette. Smoke filled the room, making me cough.

I had reminded her countless times not to smoke inside because we had a child at home, but she had never taken my words to heart. She had never truly considered Terry and me a family, either. If she really cared, she would remember every word I said.

"Is this all because of what happened at the company earlier?" Sophie asked.

I wanted to nod, but shook my head instead.

This was just one of the instances among many others. Whenever I was in urgent need of money in the past, she had always acted this way, bringing out the ledger and lecturing me. She always told me not to spend lavishly and that I needed to learn how to manage money.

"I just don't know why you're so strict with me, but so generous toward Ron," I said. "I'm your husband. You don't even give me extra money when Terry gets sick.

"I stayed at home to take care of our kid, so I have no income. I have to rely on you financially, and it's getting tiring to walk on eggshells around you every day."

Sophie looked at me, a mix of emotions on her face. "That's not fair. I'm only limiting how much you can spend. I've never deprived you of your necessities. How much could it possibly cost to treat Terry? You ask for 500 dollars every time. Can't you just get some medicine at the pharmacy?"

She leaned back against the couch, seeming tired. "How can you compare your situation to Ron's? If I don't settle the matter for Emily, she could go to prison. She's still young. Spending time behind bars would ruin her life. You should know which matters more."

I snapped, "So even your mom's life is not as important as Emily's? Sophie, you're a monster!"

Sophie always had endless patience for Ron. Yet she seemed unwilling to say even a single complete sentence to me.

She stood up and slapped me hard across the face. "You just can't talk calmly, huh? I'll help you calm down then.

"I know you dislike Ron, but he never did anything wrong. We're just close, that's all. He's my employee. Paying him a fair wage is only right. You're my husband, so learning how to balance our finances is your responsibility."

Sophie spoke through gritted teeth, as if she longed to tear me into pieces.

That single slap brought our five-year relationship to an end and destroyed the last bit of affection I had for her.

Terry ran out of the room with tears in his eyes and stood between us. "You're so mean, Mommy! Don't you dare hurt Daddy!"

Chapter 3

Sophie gave us a cold, hard look before storming out, leaving me staring after her in despair and resentment.

I did a lot of thinking that night.

I had always backed down and endured everything to keep everyone happy. I had believed that if I went along with Sophie's wishes, she would come to appreciate my efforts.

But in the end, she took my kindness for granted and even pushed for more.

Terry's birthday was the next day, and Gina's burial was the day after that. Once all of this was done, Terry and I would leave Sophie.

Terry insisted on going to the amusement park on his birthday. Although I didn't really feel like it, I went along with him anyway.

I just never expected to run into Sophie and Ron at a shopping mall. And Sophie had no idea that today was Terry's birthday.

When Terry spotted her, he called out timidly. "Mommy, it's my birthday today. Did you get me a present?"

Sophie turned, her gaze turning cold. "Your dad taught you to say that, didn't he?"

Terry shook his head. "No, he didn't."

Sophie crouched down and took Terry's hand in hers. Then she gave it a few sharp smacks. "Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to earn money? You're just a kid. Instead of learning to be sensible, you want to waste money.

"It's just a birthday. What kind of present do you expect from me? Get your dad to cook you some food at home. Maybe he can throw in a burger."

Terry cried out in pain, pulling his hand back.

I looked at the shopping bags Ron was carrying. They were filled with designer watches and high-end clothes.

Yet Sophie couldn't even bear to spend money on a birthday present for our son.

Terry was already four years old. He was old enough to understand certain things, so even though Sophie berated him, he still spoke up. "Mommy, why are you willing to spend on Ron instead of us? Aren't we a family?"

With people all around us, Sophie didn't feel it was appropriate to scold Terry, so she wiped the tears from his face.

"You're too young to understand," she said. "It's not easy for Ron to survive on his own. He has to pay rent, buy food, and send money to his family. I went through the same hardship. That's why I must help him."

I was tired of her behavior. She always gave us a hard time, followed by empty gestures of kindness.

Sophie would always lecture me for spending too much, then patiently comfort me afterward. It wasn't my good-natured temper she was counting on. It was my love for her.

But now, even that last bit of love I had was gone. I had no reason to spare her feelings anymore.

"Sophie, what's so wrong about Terry wanting a present from you? He just wants a surprise. If you take a mere fraction of the money you've spent on Ron, it would be enough to buy our son a present. It's not that you're unwilling to spend on us. It's just that you simply don't care about us at all."

With that, I left hand-in-hand with Terry.

All these years, I hadn't even bought myself a decent piece of clothing or a bottle of cologne.

I went to a toy store and bought my son the present he had been longing for. Then I went to a large department store.

"This one. These, too. I'll take them all."

Chapter 4

Yet I wasn't as happy as I had expected after all that shopping. I even felt a bit disappointed.

With his arms wrapped around his present, Terry nuzzled against the back of my hand. "Daddy, I don't want Mommy's presents anymore. I don't care about them."

I couldn't bring myself to tell him about Sophie and my impending separation.

Sophie didn't return home until late that night. Maybe it was because of what had happened earlier that day, but she was unusually gentle.

My eyes landed on the battered robot sitting on the table. It looked like something that belonged in the trash, yet she had picked it up and brought it home.

Terry had already fallen asleep after finishing his cake. But if he saw the present, he would probably hate it.

I was lost in thought when Sophie took out the ledger again. "I'll put this gift on your tab and deduct it from next month's expenses. Oh, right. I'll give you an extra 100 dollars starting next month. That should be enough, right? Don't ever call me stingy again."

With that, she laughed as she walked into our room.

But just seconds later, she marched back out, fuming, with the shopping bags in hand. "Aaron, you've been wasting money again! Can't you wear the clothes in your closet? Or use the kids' moisturizer in the bathroom? I've told you so many times. You need to be more careful with money."

I sneered. "What about the money you spent on Ron? Why didn't you apply the same rules to yourself? Every time Emily got into a fight, you'd bail her out immediately. If you really tallied it up, the settlement costs alone must have reached 500,000 dollars by now.

"Not to mention renting an apartment and buying clothes for Ron. You're just his boss, yet you're more attentive to his needs than his girlfriend would be. Why don't you ask yourself whether you are following your own rules well enough? What right do you have to demand that of me?"

I sank onto the couch once I was done. I had thought of these things countless times before. Yet, every time, I didn't say them out loud because I lacked the heart to say them.

Sophie's eyes widened. She seemed unable to believe that I would say such things. I had always been considerate and kind, never arguing with her over anything. I also had never once lost my cool with her, not even when it came to money.

But after a moment of silence, she snapped, "Why are you so twisted? Ron is younger than me, and he only recently joined the company. What's wrong with me helping him? You know the company policy. Interns don't get paid. Am I supposed to stand by and watch him starve to death?"

I didn't even have the energy to argue anymore. No matter what I said, she would always take Ron's side. There was no point in saying anything more.

Silence enveloped the room.

Sophie began checking the price tags and writing everything down in the ledger. "You've spent 40,000 dollars, so you won't have any living expenses for the next two years. You'll have to offset the entire amount first."

I dragged myself back to the bedroom without looking at her, and Sophie continued updating the ledger.

I didn't catch any sleep that night.

The next day, the funeral home notified me that the burial had been scheduled, and once again, I couldn't get through to Sophie. I didn't waste any more time. I just sent her a message. "Mom is being laid to rest today. If you have any shred of conscience left, come and say goodbye to her."

I selected a nice burial plot for Gina, visited her grave with Terry, and then went to a law firm to have the divorce agreement drawn up.

My marriage to Sophie was over.

…

Sophie was beside herself with frustration because Emily had gotten into another fight. Not only did she have to pay up again, but she also had to cover the medical expenses.

"Ron, this is the last time," she warned. "If Emily causes trouble again, I won't get involved."

Ron took her hand and apologized, "Ms. Devine, I promise this won't happen again. You just have to help her this time. She's still so young."

Sophie sighed, but she still transferred the money to the victim.

When everything was over, Sophie walked out of the hospital room, feeling incredibly annoyed. She was leaning against the windowsill when she overheard a conversation between passing medical staff.

"Money really works wonders. One can get away with a fight, and as long as one has enough of it, everything can be settled."

Another nurse suddenly recalled something, her voice turning sympathetic. "I had a patient who met a really tragic end a few days ago, though.

"She was rushed in after a car accident. She could've been saved, but her daughter refused to pay. In the end, the patient died. I don't remember her name, but I do remember her son-in-law's. I think his name was Aaron Parker."

Sophie spun around and quickly walked over, grabbing the nurse's arm. "Where is that patient now?"

The nurse shook her off, looking a bit displeased. "Where else? It's been days. I'm sure she's already been buried."

Sophie suddenly remembered the message I had sent her and immediately ran out of the hospital.