We had been married for three years, and together, our income was decent at twenty-six grand a month. Yet, we barely had two hundred bucks in savings.

My husband was a nice guy, lending practically his entire wages to our next-door widow and her daughter.

He covered their expenses when the daughter needed money for school, when the widow needed a little time at the spa, and when they wanted to give their home a new facelift.

The moment my father fell ill and needed surgery, I went next door to ask for the money back. However, my neighbors slammed the door in my face. “Your husband chose to give us the money. Why should we pay you back?”

Enraged, I sought help from my husband, only to be criticized. “I felt bad for them. Why did you demand payment when they are already struggling? What’s wrong with you?”

I smirked.

That night, I decided to do a good deed by spending my entire paycheck to help a broke college hunk.

The next day, our power was cut off for unpaid bills, and my husband lost an unfinished document he hadn’t saved.

Putting his finger up my nose, he gave me a piece of his mind. “Where’s your money? Why didn’t you pay the bills?”

I replied with the most innocent look on my face, “I helped a struggling college student. His life was falling apart because he had to deal with a sick mom and a deadbeat dad. His needs should come before the utility bills.”

“Mrs. Turner, the hospital requires a 150 grand deposit for your father’s surgery, and the subsequent treatments are likely to exceed 30,000 dollars.”

The message from the attending physician stung my eyes.

I tapped into my banking app, only to find a sad balance of 201 dollars and 38 cents.

Overwhelmed with disbelief, I had to check the amount three times.

Roddy and I had been married for three years. Between us, we earned a combined monthly income of 26 grand. Even after paying 6,000 for the mortgage and 3,000 for living expenses, we couldn’t possibly be left with only 200 bucks.

Besides, I recalled seeing at least 20 thousand dollars in there just the other day.

Unless…

Jolting to my feet, I dialed Roddy’s number.

It took the seventh to eighth ring before Roddy answered the call.

“Yeah? I’m in the middle of business right now. Why are you calling out of the blue?”

Roddy sounded annoyed.

“Roddy,” I hissed through clenched teeth. “Why is there only 200 bucks left in my account?”

The line went quiet for a second.

“What do you mean? Wait, I thought the account still had money in it.”

“Nope.” Gnashing my teeth, I asked, “All I have is 200 bucks. I just got word from the hospital, and my dad needs immediate surgery for his brain tumor. The initial payment is 150,000 dollars, and I have not spent a single cent. So tell me. How did my balance get so low?”

“Um… Easy there, babe.”

Roddy’s voice faltered. “About the money… I just remembered. I lent some to Lorelei a while back. We’ll figure something out for your dad’s surgery—”

“You lent the money to Lorelei?” I sneered. “Roddy, I’ve never seen a dime of the 14,000 dollars you make a month. I’ve been covering the household expenses for us, and you’re telling me now that you gave my wages to someone else? Where did your money go?”

“You’ve got more than enough from the 12,000 you earn. I’m your husband, so what’s the problem if I used some of it?”

Roddy was still making excuses.

“More than enough?” I grilled him furiously. “Have you forgotten that the mortgage alone is 6,000 dollars? What about utilities? My wages have been keeping the house running for three years. Yet, you’re telling me that I have more than enough?

“You have some nerve, Roddy. You contributed nothing, and still, you were happy to hand my hard-earned money to other women.”

I got to know Lorelei Leigh and her daughter, Natasha Leigh—whom Roddy often mentioned—when he lent them 8,000 dollars for Natasha’s first year of community college.

Lorelei later whined about her back pain, and Roddy lent another 3,000 for her physiotherapy sessions.

When the Leighs renovated their place last year, Roddy was there to supposedly lend another 20 grand.

I had tried to stop Roddy, but he swore up and down that he was just doing his bit and lending a helping hand.

My protests fell on deaf ears. Soon after, Natasha got a new phone and branded cosmetics. I lost track of how much he was giving away.

This year, Lorelei talked about taking up yoga, and sure enough, Roddy was there to meet her needs.

Roddy sounded so righteous in his justification that any objections seemed pointless. I had to hold my tongue.

However, my father was lying in a hospital bed, his life depending on the money.

Indifferently, I gave him an ultimatum. “Roddy, you have an hour to get home, and we’ll talk. You’ll need to come clean about how much of our money you have given away.”

Before Roddy had a chance to answer, I hung up on him.

An hour later, I opened the door to our apartment.

Roddy was already on the sofa. He scoffed at my presence.

Ignoring him, I grabbed his ledger from the table and flipped through it.

I wasn’t prepared for what I was about to find.

[August 20, 2019 – Lent 8,000 to Lorelei for Natasha’s tuition]

[March 12, 2020 – Lent 20,000 to Lorelei for home renovations]

[June 7, 2020 – Lent 5,000 to Natasha for a laptop]

[September 1, 2020 – Lent 15,000 to Lorelei for Lorelei’s living and miscellaneous expenses]

[April 8, 2021 – Lent 8,000 to Lorelei for Natasha’s new phone]

[July 22, 2021 – Lent 2,000 to Natasha for cosmetic products]

[October 10, 2021 – Lent 12,000 to Lorelei for medical bills]

…

The entries were too many for me to keep up with.

My hands shook as I held the notebook.

The tremor came from an angry place.

I started to tally up the numbers with the calculator on my phone.

It was a grand total of 187,400 dollars.

I smirked in rage.

These were just the ones he had jotted down.

What about the loans Roddy had forgotten about, and all the small amounts he lent out here and there?

“It’s been three years.” I sneered, “We’ve been married for three years, Roddy. You’ve never contributed a single cent of your income to this family! I keep the house running, pay the mortgage with my income, pinching every penny just to stay afloat!

“And you? You basically gave away your money to the mother and daughter next door! I can’t believe you spent 187 grand on them. Roddy, it’s 187,000 dollars!”

I slammed my phone into his chest.

Roddy’s cheeks turned flush, and he averted his gaze. “W-Why are you yelling at me? It’s not as if I won’t pay you back. Lorelei and Natasha are in a tough spot. What’s wrong with helping them out? Don’t you have any compassion?

“Besides, nobody expected your father to fall ill. We had no idea that his treatment would cost so much. Money can be replaced, but people can’t. We’ll work something out.”

“Work something out?” I cut him off. “So your plan is to play the saint while draining us dry and letting my father die? Roddy, we’re talking about 187,000 dollars, not pocket change. Go next door and get the money now, every last cent of it.”

“Have you lost your mind?” Roddy shot up in outrage. “What’s Lorelei and Natasha going to think of me? How am I supposed to show my face anywhere? Our neighbors will all talk behind my back, saying that I look the other way when people are struggling! Laurel, when did you become so heartless and materialistic?”

Heartless? Materialistic?

I stared at the flustered and angry man, finding him so ridiculous.

My father was fighting for his life, waiting for life-saving money. Yet, Roddy had the nerve to call me materialistic.

“Fine. Since you’re not going, I’ll go.” I smirked.

I stormed out of the apartment.

Roddy came up from behind and stopped me. “Laurel, don’t go there and cause a scene!”

I slammed the door in his face, shutting out his angry voice.

Drawing a deep breath, I rang the doorbell next door.

The sound of shuffling feet approached the door, and a young whiny voice boomed. “Who is it in the middle of the day?”

Natasha opened the door, dressed in her expensive nightgown, a facial mask plastered to her face.

She was surprised to see me.

“Oh, Mrs. Turner. What is it?”

She looked rather impatient.

“Is Lorelei there?”

“Mom’s out getting a facial,” Natasha said offhandedly. “You can just talk to me.”

“Fine.” I inhaled deeply. “I’ll be straight with you then, Natasha. My dad is in the hospital in need of surgery. Roddy has loaned your family 187,400 dollars. I need you to return the money now. It’s a matter of life and death for my dad.”

Natasha’s face behind the mask stiffened.

She looked me up and down like she was staring at something filthy.

“Mrs. Turner, I don’t quite understand what you’re on about,” she drawled. “Money? What money? You said that Roddy loaned us money. Is there an IOU? If you're just going to make things up to get cash, you might as well rob a bank.”

Having known this was coming, I pulled out the photo of Roddy’s ledger. “Roddy wrote down the records of the loans detailing the dates, amounts, and reasons. Should I call the authorities and have them cross-check against the bank statements?”

Natasha glanced at the phone with a scowl. However, she was quick to pull herself together and arm herself with hostility.

“Tsk, that’s just something he scribbled down. Who knows if it’s even real? Besides, he gave us the money willingly. He’s kind. He saw we were struggling and wanted to help.” Her voice turned shrill.

“Don’t put this on us because your dad is sick. This is not an attack on you, Mrs. Turner, but if you can’t afford your dad’s medical bills, that’s on you. Don’t come here to scam us. Have you no shame?”

“He gave the money willingly?” I sneered, “Natasha, so you’re saying that your college tuition, allowance, phone, laptop, makeup, even your mother’s physio sessions, medical bills, and home renovations were money given by Roddy out of the kindness of his heart? Do you think he’s running a charity? I’m here to collect today.”

“Why on earth would we pay it back?”

Lorelei’s voice cut through from the stairwell.

Cocking my head back, I caught the taunt on Lorelei’s well-kept face as she approached. a spa gift bag in hand.

Lorelei walked to the door and pulled Natasha behind her like a mother hen.

“What’s with all the fuss, Laurel? What do you mean by paying you back?” Lorelei’s voice was loud. “My good neighbor, Roddy, felt sorry for us and gave the money of his free will. It’s what neighbors do. You’re not even part of the equation. Mind your own business.”

Neighbors, she said?

I felt like I was about to throw up.

“Legally speaking, Roddy and I are married. His debts and spending are part of our joint assets. He lent you a large sum of money without my consent, and I reserve the right to reclaim those funds. Either you pay up, or I’ll see you in court.”

“Is that so?” Lorelei made a face as if she had heard the funniest thing. “Go ahead. Let’s see if the court thinks you even have a case. Here’s the thing, Laurel. You won’t see a dime from us. If Roddy wants the money, he can tell me to my face. I’d like to see if he actually has the nerve to demand it from me.

“Get lost! Stop blocking our door. You’re bringing bad vibes.”

Lorelei gave me a shove.

Caught off guard, I staggered back and nearly tumbled.

“Bam!”

The heavy door of Apartment 302 slammed shut in my face, the echo ringing down the hallway.

I could even hear the mother and daughter’s muffled giggles through the door.

“She’s gone desperate!”

“She’s lost her mind over money!”

“No wonder her father fell ill. Karma!”

Standing there, I shook in rage.