Eric's tone flipped fast. "Babe, what are you saying? We're married—what's mine is yours, what's yours is mine."

I smirked. "That card was for your parents. They're gone, so I shut it down. Problem?"

His eyes darted. "I... I was buying you a Valentine's gift. Picked the wrong card, that's all."

I leaned in, all fake surprise. "Aww, that's so thoughtful! But I already have that bag. I like this new one instead—buy me that."

He had no way out. Watching him wince as he paid? Priceless.

I grabbed his phone and changed the delivery to my office. "One of my coworkers said her husband wouldn't splurge on this. I'm gonna unbox it at work—rub it in a little."

His face? Darker than week-old gym socks.

That one bag nearly wiped him out. I wondered how long Gregory and Meredith could survive now.

Seeing me in a good mood, he tried to play sweet. "Hey, why not reopen the card for Luca? Think of it like he's inheriting my parents' money."

Whose money?

I rolled my eyes, then switched gears. Put on my best sad face. "With your parents' accident, I didn't get a chance to tell you—my mom's sick. Surgery's expensive. Can you lend me $20K?"

Captain Tightwad flinched. "We've got another mouth to feed now. Where am I supposed to find cash for your mom? Even in marriage, money's gotta be clear. She's your mom—you deal with it."

I'd already stopped romanticizing him, but that still hit cold.

So I used the "need to earn more" excuse, started dipping early, coming home late, tuning both him and Luca out.

Didn't take long for Eric's bank account to flatline.

***

One night, I got home and caught Eric whispering to Luca:

"When you see Dakota, smile and call her Mom. Then hit her with the 'I wanna be a child star' bit, got it? And if that flops—turn on the cute. She eats it up."

"I don't wanna suck up to that old witch!"

"Do it! She's your ticket to fame. Your mom and grandparents are counting on you to make life good for them."

Dream on. Eric had no idea what kind of kid he was raising.

As soon as I walked in, Luca bolted toward me, arms wide. "Mom! Mom! I missed you soooo much!"

He latched on. "Mom, I wanna be famous! I want nice clothes! Can you help me?"

Last time, that was the first time he'd ever called me Mom. I was so touched I nearly cried. Thought he finally saw me as family.

I dropped every other kid I was mentoring and poured everything into him.

And created the most spoiled little monster alive.

This time, I stopped him with my bag, gave him a full once-over. My voice hesitated, but my eyes? Pure disgust.

"Luca, being a child star's not easy. I'll think about it."

Eric took the bait. Had Luca glued to me every second after that.

That night, Luca even volunteered to walk with me to grab a package.

And that was when I saw her.

Eric's forever obsession.

Luca's real mom.

Tammy Page.

I pretended not to see her, but my mind was racing—what scam was she running now?

Tammy marched right up, eyes on Luca. "Oh my god! Your son is STUNNING! He looks just like a TV kid! You have to make him a star—he was born for it!"

I almost laughed out loud. Couldn't convince me? So they sent in Tammy as a "random stranger"?

These two clowns were dying to launch their little cash cow.

How could I possibly not... help?

Back home, I faked excitement for Eric. "Wild, right? Random people were stopping me to say how cute Luca is. Maybe he really could be a child star."

Eric lit up. "You're already a talent agent—why waste your hookups on strangers? Luca's perfect. We could push the pretty-boy heartthrob thing... or the fun, boy-next-door vibe."

I just stared at him.

Next day, I dragged Luca to the office. Eric, obviously, had to tag along.

In the studio, Luca beamed at the camera like a total idiot. I rubbed my forehead.

Last time around, I somehow turned this painfully average kid into a star. Guess I was a miracle worker.

The crew looked ready to murder me after hours of useless shots. Their faces were darker than coffee.

I grabbed a few of the worst pics, tossed them into a "portfolio," and called it a day so everyone could escape.

Eric, of course, was starstruck.

"If Luca doesn't make it, who could? He just needs a résumé. Sign him up for competitions!"

Yeah, sure I will. The kiddie pageant crowd was always short on bodies. Luca could finally play background filler.

I dumped him into every cheap contest out there, rigged him a stack of worthless ribbons, and even cooked up a fake "exclusive magazine" with his face on the cover now and then—just enough to keep him and Eric hyped.

Then I went all in and staged a debut press conference full of paid cheerleaders.

Two months in, Luca had "speed-ran" his way to stardom.

Eric was ecstatic, clutching his kid's "killer résumé" like it was buried treasure.

"Think he can land ads now? I've seen kids in commercials pulling in thousands a month!"

I almost cracked up. I patted his shoulder. "Thousands? Please. At Luca's level, one gig's worth tens of thousands. Brands are already lined up begging for him, throwing in bonuses just to lock him down."

Eric's eyes lit up, glued to the fake schedule in my hand.

His account was bone dry. Gregory and Meredith had probably been scraping pennies somewhere, the whole clan hanging their last hopes on Luca's "big break."

And honestly? I was rooting for it even harder.

Come on already—I'd set the stage, played every card. All I needed was Gregory and Meredith crawling back from the dead and Eric's "first love" dropping from the sky.

Eric didn't disappoint.

Next day, I walked in to find Gregory and Meredith—months "dead"—parked in my living room like they owned it. Tammy sat beside them, dabbing fake tears while hugging Luca.

The old couple whipped out a pre-written divorce agreement and slapped it in my face.

"What good is a wife who won't give us grandkids? Get out. Tammy's the only daughter-in-law we accept."

Tammy smirked over Luca's shoulder. "Thanks for raising my son so well. You've worked hard."

Eric looked ready to say something, but I cut him off with a raised hand.

"I'll divorce. But Luca's adopted under my name. He's my son now. You want him? Fine—then the house and car are mine. Otherwise, forget it."