Chapter 1

For my mother-in-law, Karen Marsh's 60th birthday, I've booked a celebration at the best restaurant in town. But just as I'm about to sit down with my daughter, Karen shoves me aside.

"Trent, there's no room left. Take Elsie to Popeyes next door."

I'm the one paying for the entire dinner, and now my daughter and I aren't even allowed a seat.

I'm furious, but with my daughter, Elsie Quinn, standing beside me, I force myself to stay calm. "I already checked with the manager. There are plenty of seats."

Elsie looks to my wife, Tamsin Whitlock, hoping she'll stand up for us.

Instead, Tamsin snatches the birthday drawing Elsie made for her grandmother, crumples it up, and throws it in the trash. "It's my mom's birthday. If she says there's no room, there's no room. Just take Elsie and go. You're embarrassing us."

I look at Karen, then at Tamsin.

I don't argue or make a scene. I simply pull out my phone and cut off their access to my money.

If Tamsin wants to celebrate her mother's birthday so badly, she can pay for it herself.

And while I'm at it, they can all move out of my house. After all, I wouldn't want my daughter and me getting in their way anymore.

Chapter 1

My mother-in-law, Karen Marsh, had never been particularly fond of me. Even before the wedding, she'd disapproved of how much time I spent working. And when my wife and I had our daughter, Elsie Quinn, she seemed to take it out on her, too.

Still, I'd hoped she could put her feelings aside for one day. It was her 60th birthday, after all. Surely we could get through the celebration without any drama. Apparently, I'd been expecting too much.

My heart broke when I saw Elsie crying. She hardly ever cried. Once, she'd scraped her knee pretty badly at preschool, but she'd just bitten her lip and held back her tears.

And she'd worked so hard on that drawing. For three nights straight, she'd skipped her favorite TV shows to sit at her little desk, carefully going over every detail until she was happy with it.

She'd told me how her cousin, Milo Hopper, had given Karen a drawing once, and Karen had absolutely loved it. She'd gone around telling everyone what a sweet, thoughtful boy he was and had even put his drawing up on the fridge.

Elsie hadn't forgotten that. She figured Karen must really like drawings, so she'd decided to make one for her, too. She'd been so sure Karen would love it.

Instead, Karen had crumpled it up and thrown it in the trash.

I was so furious that I could barely stop shaking.

"Tamsin Whitlock, you—"

"Oh, give it a rest," my sister-in-law, Marlowe Whitlock, cut in, lounging in her chair with her legs crossed. "We're all family here. Can't you get Elsie to stop crying? She's making such a scene."

I scoffed. "Funny how you never have anything to say when Milo makes a complete mess at the dinner table. What, does he get a free pass because he's your kid?"

Marlowe looked me up and down, her eyes full of contempt. "Enough already! Popeyes is more your speed anyway. Now, get going. You're just getting in the servers' way."

I almost laughed at her audacity. Marlowe brought her son over to our house for free meals practically every day, helping herself to the expensive fruit and premium milk I bought for Elsie without a second thought.

And whenever Milo came over, he would tear through Elsie's toys, picture books, and dolls. Anything he liked, he would stuff into his bag and take home.

Marlowe was always quick to praise Elsie whenever she wanted something from us, calling her a sweet, thoughtful young girl.

Yet now, despite there being three empty chairs in the private dining room, she expected me to take my daughter somewhere else for fast food. I wasn't about to put up with that.

I walked straight over to the empty chairs, pulled one out, and lifted Elsie onto it. Then I pulled out the chair beside her and sat down.

"We're not going anywhere," I said calmly. "We're eating right here."

Karen slammed her fork onto the table.

"Trent Quinn! What do you think you're doing?" she snapped, glaring at me. "It's my 60th birthday! Are you deliberately trying to ruin it?"

I ignored her. Instead, I poured Elsie a glass of orange juice and straightened her plate and silverware.

Chapter 2

My wife, Tamsin Whitlock, came over and lowered her voice. "Honey, stop making a scene."

"Like I said, there's plenty of room. We've still got three empty chairs." I glanced around the table. "What, are we saving those seats for ghosts?"

I'd made three separate trips to the restaurant to arrange this birthday dinner. I'd even handled the seating plan myself and ordered a special three-tier birthday cake. I'd paid for the whole dinner, and I had every right to sit at the table.

Marlowe leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed and sneered. "Trent, do you even know how much this meal costs? It's 680 dollars a table. If you and Elsie eat with us, there'll be less food for everyone else."

I shot her an amused glance.

"Less food?" I repeated with a laugh, refusing to back down. "You bring yourself and Milo over to my house for free meals every day, and whenever we have to squeeze in two extra chairs, you say it's fine because we're family. You've got some nerve complaining about it now."

Marlowe's face turned bright red.

Karen slammed her hand on the table. "Enough!"

Her chest heaved as she pointed at me. "Trent, when are you going to stop this nonsense? It's not like we're letting you go hungry! Kids love junk food anyway!

"Didn't Elsie say she wanted a kids' meal the other day? I was being nice by suggesting you take her there, and this is the thanks I get!"

Tamsin chimed in, "Mom's right. Elsie likes that stuff anyway. I don't know why you're so desperate to sit here and pretend you're too good for fast food."

I could hardly believe she was lecturing me about appearances when her own mother was trying to send her son-in-law and granddaughter away for fast food in the middle of her birthday celebration.

I took a deep breath, ready to respond, when I felt a gentle tug on my sleeve.

I looked down. Elsie was gazing up at me, her eyes pleading. "Daddy, can we just go?"

She sniffled. "I don't want you fighting with Grandma."

My heart ached. Elsie was such a thoughtful girl, and it hurt to see her like this. She probably couldn't understand why she wasn't even allowed to sit at the table for her own grandmother's birthday.

I looked over at Tamsin. She was watching me impatiently, clearly waiting for me to get up and leave.

"Fine," I said. "We'll go."

I couldn't bear to see Elsie upset any longer. I stood up and lifted her out of her chair. She wrapped her little arms around my neck and buried her face in my shoulder.

"Don't be mad, Daddy," she mumbled.

"I'm not mad, sweetheart." I gently patted her back.

With Elsie in my arms, I headed for the door.

Behind me, Karen spoke up. "Finally. Now can we get the food out here?"

Marlowe laughed. "Mom, you should've sent them to Popeyes ages ago. All that arguing was just a waste of time."

Just as we reached the door, Elsie whispered, "Daddy, does Grandma hate me? And Aunt Marlowe and Mommy, too?"

My throat tightened. I held her a little closer. "Elsie, sweetheart, they're the ones who don't deserve your love."

I opened my banking app. For the past six years, I'd given Tamsin and her mother access to my accounts, with a monthly spending limit of two thousand dollars each.

Tamsin only earned 400 dollars a month, barely enough to cover her own expenses. I'd been paying for practically everything she and her mother spent money on.

I revoked their access and canceled every supplementary credit card I'd given them.

If they couldn't even let my daughter and me have dinner, I certainly wasn't going to pay for theirs.

I took Elsie to the revolving restaurant on the top floor of the building next door.

The moment the elevator doors opened, Elsie gasped in amazement. She let go of my hand and ran straight to the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The entire city glittered beneath us, its streets lined with streams of headlights that looked like glowing rivers.

"Daddy, look!" she exclaimed. "The cars look like fireflies!"

Chapter 3

I smiled, walked over, picked her up, and settled her into a seat by the window.

A server handed us the menus. Elsie opened hers, her eyes widening. "Daddy, it's so pretty here! Is it really, really expensive?"

"Not at all." I tapped her nose playfully. "You deserve the very best, sweetheart."

Throughout our marriage, Tamsin had always insisted that we shouldn't spoil Elsie or let her develop expensive habits. She never wanted me spending too much money on our daughter. But seeing how happy Elsie was that night, I knew that every penny was worth it.

My phone wouldn't stop buzzing throughout dinner.

"Trent, what did you do? My card's getting declined!

"Mom ordered the king crab platter. It's 288.80 dollars. Hurry up and fix the card!

"The server's standing right here! Can you please not screw this up?

"Trent, I'm warning you. It's Mom's birthday. Don't you dare pull anything!

"Whatever. I put it on my buy-now-pay-later account. You can pay me back later."

I dismissed every message without replying.

Then Karen posted in the family group chat. "Trent, it's my birthday today. Couldn't you have been a little more considerate? Elsie threw a tantrum in front of all those relatives, so I suggested taking her to Popeyes to have some fun. I don't understand why you had to get so upset."

I stared at the message for a couple of seconds. Elsie hadn't thrown a tantrum. She hadn't complained or argued once the entire time.

Yet with one casual message, she had managed to pin the blame for everything on a five-year-old girl.

Marlowe chimed in, "Mom was supposed to have a wonderful birthday, but Trent showed up with Elsie and caused a scene. Now Mom's been upset all evening."

Karen replied, "Oh, forget it. That's just the kind of man he is."

Then Tamsin's aunt, Lenora Ryder, joined in. "It's your mother-in-law's birthday. No matter how upset you are, you should just swallow your pride for one day. Now you've embarrassed the whole family!"

Another relative, Celeste Harper, added, "I've been saying for years that he's no good. He didn't even bother showing his mother-in-law any respect last Christmas, and now he's pulled this stunt."

My phone buzzed again. This time, Tamsin was calling.

I answered.

"Trent!" she snapped, her voice sharp with anger. She sounded like she'd been holding it in all evening and had finally found someone to take it out on. "Mom only turns 60 once! What the hell is your problem?

"All she asked was for you to take Elsie to Popeyes! What's the big deal? Did you seriously have to cut off my spending account and cancel the cards over something so stupid? Do you have any idea how humiliating it was when my card got declined at the restaurant?"

I cut her off. "It's my money, Tamsin. I can cut you off whenever I want. I don't need your permission."

Tamsin exploded. "We're married, Trent! We're a family! Why are you suddenly acting like we have separate money?"

"Family?" I let out a bitter laugh. "Then why did your mother kick me out today? Apparently, I'm not even family enough to deserve a seat at the table."

"Because there weren't enough seats!" Tamsin snapped. "It's Mom's birthday. Couldn't you have just sucked it up for once? Seriously, what's gotten into you today?"

"Tamsin." I was so angry that my eyes were burning. "I've put up with this crap for six years."

"When your mother moved in with us, I didn't complain. When your sister started bringing Milo over for free dinners every single night, I kept my mouth shut. That's been going on for three years now.

"Milo hogs Elsie's desk, breaks her toys, and tears up her drawing books. Every time I say something, you tell me he's just a kid, and I should let it go. And every single time, I do. And after all that, your mother can't even spare us a couple of chairs at her birthday dinner!"

Tamsin went quiet for three seconds.

"You're overreacting," she finally said, sighing. "You know how Mom is. She's got a sharp tongue, but she has a good heart. Now you've canceled the cards and blown this whole thing out of proportion. How are we supposed to fix things after this?"

Through it all, she hadn't once asked where Elsie was, whether she'd had dinner, or if she was okay.

Chapter 4

All Tamsin cared about was that I'd cut off her money and embarrassed her and her mother.

That was the last straw.

Tamsin must've mistaken my silence for surrender.

Her tone softened. "Trent, marriage isn't always smooth sailing. Every couple has their problems. Just come back, apologize to Mom, and reactivate the credit cards. Then we can put all this behind us."

I hung up before she could finish speaking.

There was no coming back from this.

I texted my buddy Wesley Ashford, who was a lawyer, and asked him to draw up divorce papers as soon as possible. I arranged to pick them up on my way home.

I also called a locksmith before we got back. He had the old lock cylinders out in no time.

Once Elsie was asleep, I kissed the top of her head and quietly closed her bedroom door behind me.

There was still plenty to do.

I went through the house, gathered up everything that belonged to Tamsin, Karen, and the rest of her family, and piled it all by the front door.

Then I spotted Milo's drawing on the fridge, the one Karen had been showing off for ages. I pulled it down and tossed it into a bag.

I'd bought the house before we got married, so it was mine.

For the past six years, I'd given Tamsin and Karen a monthly spending allowance of 2,000 dollars each.

Tamsin earned just 400 dollars a month, yet she drove my Mercedes around, treated people to expensive dinners, and spent her days relaxing at luxury spas. Her coworkers and neighbors were all jealous of the life she led.

Karen was no different. She constantly treated her friends to meals and posted vacation photos in the family group chat, showing off the five-star hotels she stayed in.

Every time, she would write something like, "My wonderful daughter treated me to a little getaway!"

Our relatives would shower her with praise. None of them knew that I was the one paying for every flight and hotel stay.

Tamsin had even used my money to buy another house in her own name after we got married, then let Marlowe move in after her divorce.

They lived in homes I'd paid for, drove my cars, and spent my money, all while living the high life.

And after everything I'd done for them, they'd told me there wasn't enough room at the table and sent Elsie and me off to Popeyes so we'd be out of their way.

If that was how they treated us, I was done trying to hold this family together.

Elsie was fast asleep, and I didn't want to wake her. They would be home soon, so I went to wait by the front door.

Soon, I heard Tamsin's voice coming from the hallway. "Don't worry, Mom. I know Trent better than anyone. He's all talk. I bet he's sitting at home right now, waiting to apologize to us!"

"He needs to be taught a lesson," Karen huffed. "You can't let a man get away with everything. Give him an inch, and he'll take a mile."

Then they saw me.

Tamsin looked smug. "Trent! Look at you, waiting by the door for us. So you've finally come to your senses?"

She was clearly drunk as she patted me on the shoulder. "See? I told you there's no point staying mad at each other. If you'd been this reasonable earlier, we could've avoided that whole mess tonight."

Karen looked me up and down, then nodded approvingly. "Well, at least you know you messed up. Reactivate my spending account and cards tomorrow, and raise the monthly limit to 5,000 dollars.

"Then you can treat the whole family to dinner next weekend to make up for what you did. Book the same restaurant. I want the whole family to see that my son-in-law knows how to treat his elders."

Marlowe stood beside them with Milo in her arms, smiling. "Trent, you need to show your mother-in-law some respect. Mom's 60 years old, and you're picking fights with her?

"You're only making yourself look bad. Apologize for what happened today, and we'll let it slide."

They went on and on about how I needed to make it up to them, acting like they were doing me some huge favor by forgiving me.

I let out a bitter laugh. Then I held out the divorce papers to Tamsin. "Sign these."