Chapter 3

"I'm sorry, ma'am. The co-signer of this account has placed a freeze on it. You cannot withdraw any funds."

The bank teller slid my card back across the counter.

At the same time, my phone lit up with a text from Ethan: [Want to spend money? Come home and apologize first.]

The account had twelve thousand dollars of my pre-marriage savings.

When we got married, Ethan said it was easier to manage our money together. I didn't think twice. We opened a joint account, and he kept the card.

For four years, I barely even used the pin.

Because he said he would handle the finances, and my only job was to stay home and be happy.

I dialed his number.

"Unfreeze the account."

"Apologize to Hailey first."

"Twelve thousand of that money belongs to me from before we got married. You have no right to freeze it."

"You can't even afford a meal without me, Chloe. What rights are you talking about? You think too highly of yourself."

The line went dead.

I didn't call him back.

Instead, I went straight to his office.

The receptionist’s face turned awkward the moment she saw me.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. Mr. Miller gave strict instructions. No family visits."

"I am his wife."

"Mr. Miller said... he doesn't know you."

The receptionist spoke softly, her eyes filled with pity.

I slipped past the security gate when another employee swiped their badge.

Ethan’s office was on the third floor. The door was slightly open, and I could hear Hailey’s laughter coming from inside.

I pushed the door open. Hailey was sitting in Ethan's chair with her legs crossed, holding a cup of Starbucks.

Around her neck was a pearl necklace.

It was my third-anniversary gift from Ethan.

It had disappeared from my jewelry box two months ago. Ethan said we must have lost it during the move, and he even stayed up comforting me that night.

Now, it was sitting on Hailey's collarbone.

"Oh, Chloe's here?"

Hailey made no effort to stand up. She toyed with the pearls.

"Beautiful necklace, isn't it? Ethan said you didn't want it anymore because it was old, so he gave it to me. If you like it, Chloe, I can buy you a similar one?"

On our third anniversary, Ethan had personally put that necklace around my neck, telling me he saved up for six months to buy it.

Ethan walked in, and his face turned to ice the moment he saw me.

"Who let you up here? How did you get past security?"

"You locked me out of the apartment, and you froze my bank account."

"You brought it on yourself. Who told you to act like a lunatic last night?"

He pulled a document from his drawer and slammed it onto the desk.

Black ink on white paper. "Divorce Agreement."

Under the asset division section: "The Wife voluntarily waives all marital assets and exits the marriage with nothing."

"Sign it."

"Are you kidding me?"

"You don't have to sign it." He flipped to the last page and pointed to a line of small print.

"During the marriage, the Wife repeatedly exhibited emotional instability, baseless paranoia, and attempted to harm the Husband with hazardous substances. According to professional evaluations, the Wife is suspected of having delusional tendencies."

Delusional.

He had turned my discovery of his lies into a mental health diagnosis.

"This is slander."

"This is an evaluation report co-signed by two licensed psychologists."

Ethan pulled out another document.

"Do you want me to take this to court and get a restraining order? If I do, you won't even be allowed within three hundred feet of me."

Before he could finish, a man walked in.

He was dressed in a sharp suit, with a platinum wedding band on his left ring finger.

Hailey immediately jumped out of the chair and ran over to wrap her arm around his.

"Honey, what are you doing here?"

Marcus. Hailey's husband, Ethan's direct supervisor, and the Marketing Director of the company.

He gave me a cold glance.

"Chloe, you're being unreasonable. Ethan works himself to the bone under me for who? If you can't support him, at least don't come to his office to make a scene. Do you have any idea how this affects his career?"

"Your wife is spending all day in my husband's office. You don't mind that?"

Marcus pulled Hailey closer to him, his eyes locking onto mine.

"Hailey is my wife, of course I trust her. But you—you're always paranoid. I suggest you see a therapist."

Hailey smiled at me from his arms.

Ethan gestured toward the door.

Two security guards walked in and grabbed my arms.

"Mr. Miller said this lady is unauthorized. Please escort her out."

I was dragged out to the front entrance of the building.

Behind me, Ethan's voice echoed down from the third-floor window.

"Chloe, if you know what’s good for you, sign the agreement. Don't make me use that evaluation report."