Chapter 3

Natalie returned home alone. When she looked at the carefully arranged home she had created, the happiness she once felt upon stepping through the door was gone. As she was tidying the closet, she suddenly found a property deed hidden in a secret compartment. She froze for a moment, then flipped it open. The listed owners were none other than Oliver and Linda. The taut string inside Natalie suddenly snapped. Back when they got married, Oliver had nothing. She was estranged from her family just to be with him, and all these years, she had never once asked him to spend money on her. A doctor's salary was fixed, and apart from helping out her family, she had never bought herself a single decent piece of clothing. As his career grew, he did not return her money. He claimed it was all startup capital that had to be invested wisely. "Honey, I know you're so frugal and supportive. With you behind me, I can boldly pursue my ambitions." Because of that, even when they were running low on basic living expenses, Natalie never complained. She had been so considerate of him. And yet, with all the money he had earned, he had bought Linda a house worth 800 thousand dollars. When they had married, they hadn't even had a proper wedding. They only rented an 80-dollar tricycle for the ceremony. Natalie suddenly felt her world collapse. Staring at the property deed felt like a cruel slap from a jester, mocking her naivety and foolishness. After what felt like an eternity, she got up from the floor and pulled out the only card Oliver had ever given her. It held 200 thousand dollars. He had given it to her in the second year of his career, saying it was the family savings and should not be touched unless necessary. He had entrusted it to her because he knew she would save the money. And indeed, she had. However, Natalie had a change of mind. She took the money and bought herself pastries from that little shop on the outskirts—the kind she hadn't tasted in years. Then, she walked into a luxury boutique and picked out the latest purse. The 200 thousand dollars vanished in no time. Once upon a time, even spending one dollar on an apple had felt like a painful indulgence. Now, spending 200 thousand dollars in a single day felt liberating. What was 200 thousand dollars compared to the house Oliver had bought for Linda? Feeling triumphant, Natalie returned home—only to find Oliver and Linda sitting in the living room, faces stormy. He slammed his phone onto the table, the screen full of her shopping receipts. "Explain this!" He had always been gentle and humble in front of her. Yet, the familiar handsome features she once adored were twisted with something almost feral today. He was pissed off over just 200 thousand dollars? Natalie calmly changed her shoes. "It's nothing. I just bought a few things." "A few things cost 200 thousand dollars? Natalie, are you crazy?" Oliver's hysterical roar made her feel as if she were no longer his wife, but an enemy. Linda chimed in, "Oliver is right. Natalie, 200 thousand dollars isn't a small sum. How could you be so wasteful?" She had barely finished her sentence when Natalie raised her hand and slapped her hard. "You have no right to speak here." The crisp slap echoed through the house. Linda nearly fell to the floor, and Oliver rushed to steady her. He shouted at Natalie, "What do you think you're doing?" Natalie met his dark, intense gaze and sneered. "What am I doing? I just spent 200 thousand dollars. You spent 800 thousand dollars buying Linda a house—that's the real crazy thing! Oliver, how come I never knew you were so charitable? "Or am I worth less than her to you?" Oliver's expression changed. "You went through my things?" His first thought wasn't to explain himself, but to accuse her of touching his stuff without permission. Natalie's last thread of hope vanished. "You didn't hide it." He was confident she loved him and, therefore, felt entitled to do anything. In his eyes, only Linda mattered. "That's just a house. Linda has nowhere to live. What? Do you expect me to let her sleep on the street? She's all alone out there, with no one to rely on. How can you, as her mentor, be so petty about it?" "You already said it. I'm her mentor, not her mother! Since when is her loneliness my fault? She's the one who turned her back on her parents, who refused to study, or better herself—" Before Natalie could finish, Oliver raised his hand and struck her hard across the face.