"I'm not at the office," I replied flatly.

"Not at the office?" Nina’s voice instantly turned cold. "Last I checked, it's working hours, Darren Cole. Do you understand our company policy? Leaving without permission means losing a day’s pay."

"I know. But I already—"

I was just about to tell her I had resigned when another voice drifted through the receiver. It was soft, gentle, and unmistakable.

"Ms. Wynn, if Darren doesn’t want to do it, don’t force him. I can handle it," Zach said lightly.

"No way. You stayed up half the night yesterday. You need to rest today." Nina’s tone warmed immediately. It was a complete contrast to the way she’d spoken to me seconds ago.

Zach continued insisting he wasn’t tired, but Nina cut him off, firm and authoritative.

"I'm the boss. When I order you to rest, you rest. You dare disobey me?"

"I just don’t want Darren to overwork himself," Zach said.

"Overwork? Compared to you?" Nina gave a soft, dismissive laugh. "You’re traveling and still sorting contracts, while he sits in the office doing nothing every day."

Then she added, almost amused, "Besides, he’s my husband. Isn’t working hard exactly what he should be doing?"

With one sentence, she erased every effort I’d ever made.

I no longer felt anger, jealousy, or even heartbreak—only numbness. There had been too many moments like this.

When I said nothing, Nina assumed my silence was agreement and softened again. "Darren, do you really think I’m just giving you tasks? I’m trying to train you. You’re my husband. You should demonstrate more drive and responsibility toward the company.

"You should learn from Zach. He worked until 4 a.m. last night. I’ve never seen someone so young, so talented, and so hardworking."

Zach chimed in beside her, smiling. "I think Darren’s great too."

However, the tone carried a faint condescension.

Nina didn’t notice. She gave another little laugh. "If he were even half as good as you, I’d be thrilled. Don’t forget. You were the one who completed all our projects this year."

The two of them were perfectly in sync.

I stayed silent. There was no point arguing.

Every project this year had been snatched from my hands and handed to Zach. Nina knew that but pretended not to. In her eyes, five years of marriage meant I’d never divorce her over something so "trivial".

"Alright, Zach and I have a business dinner. Finish the work and send it to me as soon as possible."

She hung up before I could respond.

Two minutes later, my phone buzzed twice.

It was a new social media post from Zach. They were sitting at an extravagant candlelit dinner. Nina leaned her head playfully onto his shoulder. In front of Zach sat a small, elegant gift box, just big enough to hold a ring.

I scrolled further down.

There was another post from last night, timestamped at 4 a.m. He and Nina were drinking and laughing at a bar.

So that "hard work" Nina mentioned was them drinking together, and tonight’s so-called "business dinner" was actually a date.

I let out a quiet, humorless laugh. I couldn’t even bring myself to question her.

It was pointless. She always had some reason prepared. Even if I cornered her with facts until she had nothing left to say, what waited for me wasn’t an apology. It was another endless coldness. Every time, I was the one who had to beg for peace.

Thinking about it now, I should’ve spent that energy figuring out how to make more money instead.

Money never betrays you. Feelings do.

With that thought in my head, I walked straight out of Wynn Group, already considering what came next after leaving.

I had barely driven out of the parking garage when my phone buzzed twice.

It was a payment alert.

Nina had charged twenty thousand on my card. Again.

Everyone assumed I married Nina for money, but the truth was she controlled all my cards. She insisted her own income had to be invested into the company, so for years every expense—rent, food, utilities, gifts, daily spending—came out of my salary and whatever extra I earned from my side work.

I agreed since I believed a man should shoulder more for his family, so I never argued.

Not until recently, when I realized something strange. I made good money, more than enough, yet somehow I had no savings. Not a cent was spared, and I was always short.

I finally cracked and checked my statements. That was when I found out that Nina regularly used my card to buy gifts for Zach.

A gaming console worth thousands.

A tailored suit costing over ten grand.

On Zach's birthday, she'd booked the entire wing of the five-star Aurelia Grand Hotel, worth over a hundred thousand, to celebrate him.

Meanwhile, I had worn the same underwear for two months, and she still refused to replace them. Anything over a hundred dollars was "too expensive". For my birthdays, she scribbled a card, saying she wanted to save money for "our future".

I couldn't hold back anymore, so I confronted her.

Nina's face went cold. She accused me of not trusting her. Then she froze me out and declared she would never use my money again.

Thinking about all that, I still called her.

I dialed more than ten times. Not once did she pick up.

So I stopped hesitating and went straight to the bank to report that my card was lost.

Less than a minute later, Nina called back.

"I was busy just now and didn't see your calls. What's up?" she said, feigning innocence.

"My problem's already solved," I replied evenly.

"Oh."

"Your card isn't working. It's frozen," she added.

"I know." I didn't hide it. "I froze it."

"What did you do that for? Do you have nothing better to do?"

"Maybe. But didn't you say you wouldn't use my card anymore?"

Nina faltered.

I had never once quarreled with her about money before Zach intervened in our lives.

When she first started Wynn Group, I had fallen seriously ill. The surgery cost a hundred thousand. At that exact time, she had secretly invested everything she had into a project and lost all of it.

She thought I'd rage and break down. Instead, I comforted her. I told her money was small stuff and that my money was hers to use first.

I thought giving wholehearted love would make our marriage stronger. Instead, it only taught her how far she could push without consequence.

Nina didn't think that deeply. After two seconds of silence, she sighed. "Alright, I get it. You're still mad I didn't go on the honeymoon. You're throwing a tantrum. Darren Cole, I actually thought you'd grown more mature. Turns out you're still this petty.

"I promise you, after this, I'll drop everything and go on the honeymoon with you, okay? I didn't bring my card with me today. Unfreeze it now. Stop being dramatic. Tonight's dinner is really important."

To make sure I obeyed, Nina added one last threat before hanging up. "You have ten minutes. If you don't do it, I'm going to be angry."

Every time she said she was angry, I used to obey without question. She never understood that I didn't fear her anger. I only knew how exhausting running the company was for her, and I didn’t want to add to her stress.

Now I finally understood. While I tried to lighten her burdens, she created her own troubles. Since that was the case, why should I bother anymore?

"Don’t you have your own card with you? Ask your secretary, or ask Zach. This whole trip was for his project anyway. It’s perfectly reasonable for him to cover the expenses."

After sending the message, I shut off my phone, got in the car, and drove home to pack.

I bought the apartment outright with my own money. She loved the layout and floor. Back then, I almost wrote her name on the deed too, but at the last second, something in me hesitated, so I put only my name down.

Now, I’m grateful I left myself that exit.

After packing, I listed the apartment with a real estate agent.

The next day, I went to file the divorce with the signed divorce agreement.

At first, I’d still been thinking about how to explain everything to Nina when I handed her the divorce agreement, but she had been in such a rush to grab her luggage and get downstairs that she didn’t even skim through it. She flipped straight to the last page and signed her name.

"At least look it over," I’d said, still holding onto a sliver of hope.

"No need. You’re my husband. Can’t I trust you?"

I had laughed bitterly. Her trust in me had always fallen short of her trust in Zach. That so-called trust wasn’t trust at all. She just wanted to brush me off quickly so she could catch her flight and hurry to travel with Zach.

In a way, it saved me the trouble of more explanations.

However, when I handed the documents to the clerk, he told me they still needed confirmation from the other party, acknowledging that the relationship had indeed broken down before they could process the divorce.

I showed them the sweet couple photos Nina and Zach had taken. I even showed them the wedding photo she’d smashed in a fit of rage over Zach.

Still, the clerk shook his head. "She has to say it herself."

Helpless, I turned my phone back on. The moment it powered up, dozens of missed calls and unread messages from Nina flooded the screen.

All because I hadn’t unfrozen the bank card. She had tried coaxing, threatening, guilt-tripping. The final message was a stream of curses, ending with her declaring she wanted a divorce.

I showed the messages to the clerk, who still shook his head.

So I called her. The line rang a long time before she finally picked up.

"Nina, our relationship..." I began.

"Who has a relationship with you? Whatever you say is useless. I’m divorcing you!" she snapped, assuming I was calling to beg like usual.

Then she hung up.

Only then did the clerk believe me. His eyes softened with sympathy as he accepted the documents and told me the divorce procedures would be finalized in a month.

I knew Nina didn’t mean the divorce she threatened. She always used that word when she was upset.

In the past, whenever she said it, I would panic. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. I would apologize, compromise, and promise her whatever she wanted until she calmed down and dropped the idea.

She knew I didn’t want a divorce. That’s why it became her final weapon. She thought using that threat would always get her what she wanted.

Alas, she seemed to forget something.

Love is like a savings account. If you only withdraw and never deposit, one day it runs out completely.