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.

Because I had listed the apartment at a very low price, it sold within a week.

I signed the contract, set the handover date with the buyer, and returned home.

The moment I opened the door, laughter echoed from inside.

At the entryway, the couple’s fleece slippers were gone. In their place sat a pair of men’s leather shoes and a pair of high heels, the same ones Zach had bought Nina for her birthday.

That was when I realized who was inside: Nina and Zach.

Weren’t they supposed to return in two days?

I was still processing that when Zach heard the noise and strolled over. He was wearing my slippers and my pajamas, ambling with a lazy, comfortable posture, like he owned the place.

"Darren, why do you come back home so early? Isn’t the workday still going on?" As he spoke, he flicked ash directly into a cup on the side table.

I recognized it immediately. It was the couple’s mug Nina had given me. I used to treasure it, always holding it carefully in my hands.

Nina appeared from the living room. She saw Zach using my mug as an ashtray, but pretended not to notice. She also didn’t gag from the cigarette smell, even though she used to retch from the scent and had ordered me to quit. She really had changed a lot during her time with Zach.

When she saw me, her expression flickered into something complicated for a moment before settling into something cold and dark.

"You skipped work again? Darren, even if you’re my husband, you can’t keep doing this! That’s a company, not our home. If you can’t follow rules, how am I supposed to manage the others?"

Rules?

I almost laughed.

If we were talking about breaking rules, who broke them more than Nina herself?

A year ago, when the company had barely stabilized, Nina had bypassed all hiring standards and directly placed Zach, someone with zero industry experience, into management.

I’d been confused, but Nina insisted Zach was talented and destined for big things. So I trained him seriously.

However, all Zach ever did was play games or sleep. He dragged his feet during the day, then stayed until midnight just to post a photo in the company group chat, pretending he was working late.

I reported this to Nina, but she brushed it off. Maybe he was tired. Maybe he needed to play games to relax.

I suggested she pay more attention. She said she had no time.

I suggested installing cameras. She said it wasn’t legal.

Then projects began failing one after another. We lost tens of millions. Still, Zach continued doing whatever he wanted.

I reached my limit and tried to fire him, but Nina stopped me immediately.

Then she asked, "Are you jealous? Afraid Zach’s too talented and will surpass you?"

So Zach stayed. He poached my clients and stole my projects.

Nina saw it all and ignored it. She even praised him as an exemplary employee and used me as a cautionary tale of a jealous coworker.

I used to feel wronged, but looking back, if I had that much tolerance, I could have survived any company and wouldn’t be standing in this mess now.

I didn’t say a word.

Zach gently patted her back, soothing her. "Maybe Darren rushed home because he knew you were returning today."

Nina seemed convinced. Her expression brightened with smug satisfaction. "Fine. Don’t let it happen again. But tell me, how did you know I was coming back today?"

Zach smiled. "Nina, remember? Julia Hart from HR booked the flight. She probably told Darren."