Chapter 1

My husband was known as the ultimate family man.

Never stayed out late, and always handed over his entire paycheck.

Yet today, on payday, he suddenly dropped a bomb on me. He wasn’t going to give me his paycheck this month.

Standing across from me, his tone sounded almost breezy.

"I think I’ll manage my own money starting this month. We’ve been married for eight years, and you’ve always controlled everything. I just need a little personal space."

Eight years. He had handed over every single cent since day one. He had never once complained.

My chest tightened. I instantly remembered how out of character he had been last month, asking me for extra cash several times. At the time, I thought it was just unexpected expenses and didn't pry.

Looking back now, he was definitely hiding something from me.

Still, I just nodded and kept quiet, pretending to be unbothered as I turned toward the kitchen to pour a glass of water.

Only after he went into the bathroom to shower did I pick up his phone. It had been over a year since I last checked it.

The passcode was still the same.

The moment I opened his SnapChat, my entire body went numb.

The pinned chat wasn't me.

"Chloe Lin."

My finger hovered over the screen. That top spot had belonged to me for eight solid years. Now, it was occupied by a name I had barely even heard of.

I tapped into it.

I scrolled through their messages, from yesterday all the way back to the middle of last month.

Strictly business. Nothing out of the ordinary.

It looked completely harmless, like they were just colleagues.

But if she was just a regular coworker, why was she pinned to the top?

More importantly, he had never mentioned her to me. Not once.

My husband always talked about work when he came home. Who got a promotion, who got transferred, which fresh intern messed up, or which coworker was being a pain in the ass. Little things, big things—he shared them all.

Yet, when it came to this Chloe, he had never breathed a single syllable.

I exited the app, my hands trembling as I opened his banking app.

I knew the passcode to this, too. Over all these years of marriage, I had access to every shared financial account.

The transaction history popped up.

On the 10th of last month, a jewelry store charge: $3,500.

On the 15th, a high-end department store charge: $1,800.

On the 20th, another luxury shopping charge: $1,200.

I stared at those figures, my ears ringing violently.

Last month, he asked me for money three times. The first time, he said it was to take a client out to dinner. The second time, he claimed his car needed a major tune-up. The third time, he told me a coworker needed an emergency loan.

I hadn’t questioned him. I transferred the funds straight from our joint account.

I held his debit card, meaning he didn't keep large amounts of cash on hand. Whenever he needed money, he had to ask me.

Turns out, every single dollar went somewhere else.

Fine jewelry. Designer bags.

I hadn't received a single one.

Our anniversary had just passed, my birthday was months away, and Valentine’s Day wasn’t anywhere near.

Where had those gifts gone? The answer was glaring right in front of me, but I was terrified to let my mind go there.

I leaned against the kitchen counter, my palms slick with cold sweat.

I heard the bathroom door click open.

"Babe, I'm done. Shower's all yours," his voice drifted in from the living room.

I gripped the phone tightly, my knuckles turning bone-white.

My mind was a swirling mess of those transactions, the messages, and that unfamiliar name.

I thought our marriage was solid.

Eight years together, and everyone around us praised what a perfect match we were. My friends always said he was devoted, my coworkers said I hit the husband jackpot, and even my mom kept telling me men like him were one in a million.

I took a deep, shuddering breath and put his phone right back where it was.

Grabbing my glass of water, I walked out into the living room.

He was sitting on the couch scrolling through his phone. Looking up as I approached, he offered a warm smile.

"What's wrong? You look pale."

"Nothing," I murmured, taking a sip before sitting down on the armchair across from him.

"Is this about what I said earlier? About keeping my paycheck?"