At the family dinner over the holidays, Elias Barrett has given all of our relatives and their children thick wads of cash.

When it's my turn, he just frowns at me.

"We've been together for so long. What's the point in going through the motions? You're the one managing the finances, so you can just withdraw what you need from the account."

I merely nod without saying anything.

But soon, I notice a text message from his bank popping out on the notifications' list.

"You have transferred 1,430 dollars to Jamie Sutton. Remark: Babe, happy holidays. XOXO Elias."

It turns out that Elias' anti-formalism rule is meant for me, not others.

I don't bother starting a fight or throwing a tantrum. Instead, I just cancel the booking on my wedding venue that will be used next month. After that, I shred the kidney donation consent form meant for Elias into pieces.

Once the holidays are over, I'm not going to extend Elias' life for him anymore.

Lively chatter filled the dinner table as Elias Barrett sat surrounded by his relatives. He was exceptionally generous today, giving each child a thick envelope of cash. Even his college-aged nephew received a thousand dollars.

I quietly cleared the dishes, his mother's laughter ringing in my ears.

"Elias is always so generous! Unlike some people who pinch every penny."

"Exactly. A good wife should bring fortune to the family, not drain it dry."

Their sharp gazes pierced my back like needles as I carried the plates toward the kitchen.

Elias' mother, Claire Hawthorne, followed me in. She snatched a plate from my hands and slammed it heavily into the sink.

"It's the holidays! Why the long face? My son's handing out money, and you can't even smile? That's his money!"

I kept my head down and turned on the faucet, rinsing the greasy dishes. "It's money I earned too."

Over these five years, I ran a small design studio, working from dawn to dusk to afford the comfortable life we had now. Elias, meanwhile, had long since quit his job to rest at home because of his kidney disease.

"You earned it? Please!" Claire's voice shot an octave. "If my son weren't sick, you wouldn't even need to work.

"You make a little money, and suddenly you think you're something special? If Elias were healthy, who would care about your income? Let me remind you, Myra, that Elias got sick because of you!"

She leaned close to my ear, her voice icy. "You're bad luck. That psychic warned us years ago. You're poison to any man you marry. The only reason you're still here is because you're a kidney match. You owe him that much."

Cold water ran over my fingertips, but I felt no chill. My heart had frozen long ago.

"You'd better behave and prepare for the surgery," she added. "Take care of my son properly. Stop obsessing over that little studio.

"Once you're married, you stay home like a proper wife. That's how marriage works. And that house you bought? Both my name and Elias' go on the deed. That's the family rule."

She paused, as if reconsidering whether she had made her point strongly enough. "Oh, and shut down that studio soon. A woman shouldn't waste time on hobbies when she should be focusing on having children. Once Elias recovers from surgery, I want a grandson. That's what you're really here for."

I turned off the faucet, shook the water from my hands, and turned to look at her calmly. "Are you done?"

"Excuse me?" Claire's face flushed with anger. "You think you can talk to me like that now?"

Just then, a sweet voice came from the kitchen doorway. "Claire, please don't be upset. Myra's just exhausted from work. She's under a lot of stress."

It was Jamie Sutton—Elias' ex-girlfriend, the one he swore he no longer spoke to. She wore a pink dress today, her makeup flawless, and she carried a plate of cut fruit in her hands.

"Jamie, you're here." Claire's expression transformed instantly from storm clouds to sunshine.

She took Jamie's hand affectionately. "You're always so thoughtful. So much better than some people," she said, shooting me a pointed look.

"Claire, you're too kind," Jamie replied. "Even though Elias and I broke up, we're still friends. You've always treated me like a daughter."

She then held an orange slice to Claire's lips. "Try this. I just cut it. It's really sweet."

Claire beamed, accepting the fruit. The look she gave me grew even more disgusted.

"Look at Jamie," she said. "She's so considerate. She actually knows how to care for people.

"Not like you. All you do is work all day. You can't even be bothered to peel an apple for me. If Elias had married Jamie, I'd have grandchildren running around by now!"

A flash of smugness crossed Jamie's face, though she quickly masked it with feigned concern. "Claire, don't say that. Myra has sacrificed so much for this family."

She then turned to me with a sweet, innocent smile. "Myra, don't take it personally. Claire just speaks her mind.

"Actually, Elias was just telling me how guilty he feels. You've given up so much to take care of him, even your dream of traveling."

She blinked, all wide-eyed innocence. "Didn't you always want to see the aurora in Svalgard? How come you still haven't gone after all these years?"

I stared at her without answering. Five years ago, when Elias was first diagnosed, I had already bought my ticket to Svalgard. I was finally going to fulfill my college dream.

But I canceled that ticket for him without hesitation. I gave up chasing what I wanted because Elias had held my hand and cried, saying he couldn't bear to be without me.

Now that dream was coming out of his ex-girlfriend's mouth like a punchline to a joke.

Claire scoffed. "The aurora? What a waste of money! She'd be better off spending that on supplements for my son!"

"Exactly." Elias appeared out of nowhere, casually draping his arm around Jamie's shoulders.

"Jamie's right," he said. "Don't stress yourself out so much. You don't need to worry about money. Jamie and I already discussed it."

He looked at me, his tone casual and matter-of-fact. "Jamie knows this amazing investor. I'm going to put our savings into it. She says we can double it in six months."

I froze.

Our savings were what I had scraped together over years of brutal hours at my studio. That money was meant for the down payment on our house, renovations, and his kidney transplant.

And now he wanted to hand it over to his ex-girlfriend for some investment scheme?

"Elias." I took a deep breath. "That money is for our house and your transplant—"

"I know," he cut me off with a frown, impatience creeping into his voice. "But there's a better way to grow it now, isn't there?"

He continued, "Jamie says it's a sure thing! When the money doubles, we'll buy a bigger place outright. Can't you think bigger for once?"

"Exactly, Myra," Jamie chimed in, leaning against Elias, her voice syrupy sweet. "I'm trying to help you both. I can't believe you don't trust me. That money's just sitting there doing nothing when it could be working for you."

Claire jumped in immediately. "Jamie's absolutely right! Myra, stop being so ungrateful! Elias makes the decisions. What gives you the right to question him? That's my son's money, and he'll do whatever he wants with it!"

I stared at the absurd scene unfolding before me, feeling like I was watching someone else's life.

"Elias." I looked him in the eye, enunciating each word carefully. "Do you remember last month when I wanted to upgrade my design computer? It cost 20 thousand dollars, and you said it was too expensive. You told me to make do with the old one.

"Yesterday I wanted to buy a 20-dollar bouquet of lilies for the house, but you said I was wasting money, that I didn't understand what being frugal means."

"But now you want to take all our savings—that is over a million dollars—and hand it to your ex-girlfriend for some investment?" I asked.

My voice was calm, but all three of them visibly stiffened.

Elias looked like I'd struck a nerve. He pushed Jamie aside and pointed his finger in my face.

"Myra!" he shouted. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? You think there's something going on between us? Jamie and I are just friends! She's trying to help us. You're being completely unreasonable!

"A computer just needs to work. Why does it have to be expensive? And lilies? You can't eat them. They wilt in a few days! Grow up, will you? Stop obsessing over every little thing!"

"Every little thing?" I repeated.

Suddenly, I wanted to laugh. So five years of sacrifice, of careful devotion, amounted to nothing more than petty concerns in his eyes.

"Yes! Every little thing!" Elias' voice grew more righteous. "We're getting married soon. We have decades ahead of us. Can you think long-term for once?

"Stop acting like some nagging wife, checking my phone, questioning how I spend money! I'm exhausted trying to hold this family together, and you're still not satisfied?"

Claire immediately rushed to shield her son, glaring daggers at me. "Look what you've done! You've upset Elias! His health is already fragile. If something happens to him because of this, can you live with yourself?

"A computer and some flowers. You actually have the nerve to bring that up? So what if you're a kidney match? Donating an organ makes you think you can control my son?"

Her voice rose, shrill and cutting. "Listen here, Myra. Don't think having that kidney gives you power over this family! The Barretts don't need you that badly! If you ruin my son's chance at this investment over something so petty, I'll make you regret it!"

Jamie stood to the side, playing peacemaker while fanning the flames with every word.

"Claire, please calm down," she said. "I'm sure Myra didn't mean it that way."

She then turned to me, eyes brimming with tears, the picture of wounded innocence. "Myra, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. If I hadn't mentioned the investment, you two wouldn't be fighting.

"I just saw how worried Elias was about money and wanted to help. I didn't mean anything by it."

Tears slid down her cheeks, delicate and pitiful.

Elias immediately pulled her into his arms, his voice tender. "It's not your fault, Jamie. Don't cry. This is on me."

He then looked up at me, his expression filled with disappointment and disgust. "Myra, look what you've done to Jamie. She's trying to help us, and you treat her with nothing but suspicion! What kind of person are you? How can you be so cruel? I was wrong about you!"

I stood there watching them hold each other, watching Claire's face twisted with contempt and distrust. And in that moment, I understood. I'd been wrong from the start.

I shouldn't have given up my dreams. I shouldn't have poured everything I had into this. I shouldn't have believed a man who promised he'd cherish me forever.

And I definitely shouldn't have agreed to donate my kidney.

"Fine." The word came out soft.

They all froze. I lifted my head and gave them a smile they couldn't quite read.

"Do whatever you want with the money. As for the house, I'll go along with whatever you decide, as long as it makes you happy."

Elias and Claire exchanged a glance, their eyes gleaming with the smug satisfaction of victors.

"That's more like it," Claire said with a sniff. "If you'd been this agreeable from the start, we wouldn't have had this problem."

Elias visibly relaxed. He let go of Jamie and walked over to me.