Chapter 1

My wife and I saved for six years for a down payment on a house.

Just when we finally had enough, her brother suddenly got "gravely ill," draining every single penny from our joint account.

I even comforted her, telling her it was fine, that we could just start over.

To make extra money for his medical bills, I drove Uber late-night shifts after my day job. I hadn't bought a single piece of new clothing in six months.

Until today. My business suddenly took off, bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars.

I rushed home, thrilled, wanting to share the amazing news with my wife.

But right as I reached the door, I heard her and her brother talking inside.

"Cody, did you get the house?"

"Sure did! Chloe, thanks to the cash you gave me, plus my own savings, I bought it outright."

My wife laughed. "Well, you have your fake illness idea to thank for that. If I had told him I was giving you the money to buy a house, he would've never agreed to hand it over."

I froze.

Her brother was never sick.

I pushed the door open. The smiles on their faces instantly froze.

My wife, Chloe, was sitting on the couch. Her brother, Cody, was leaning against the window sill.

When they saw me, their expressions looked as if someone had hit the pause button.

Chloe reacted the fastest. The stiffness on her face lasted less than a second.

She stood up and smiled at me.

"Luke, why are you home so early today?"

I put the grocery bags on the shoe rack.

"Finished up early today."

Cody put down his mug, nodded at me, and said, "Hey, Luke."

His tone was so normal, as if nothing had just happened.

I didn't stop taking off my shoes.

The words I heard before opening the door kept replaying in my mind.

I took off my coat and hung it on the rack.

"Cody, how's your recovery going?"

Cody froze for a second, instinctively glancing at Chloe.

Chloe cut in, her tone incredibly natural.

"Much better. The doctor said he just needs a bit more rest and he’ll be completely fine."

I nodded and looked at Cody.

"That treatment must have cost a fortune, right?"

Cody's expression shifted.

Chloe quickly chimed in, saying that when it comes to saving a life, cost doesn't matter.

I ignored her and kept my eyes locked on Cody.

"I asked how much it cost."

Cody's throat moved, but he couldn't squeeze out a word.

Chloe tugged at my arm. "Luke, what's wrong with you? Cody just got better."

I pulled my arm away.

"I heard everything at the door."

Chloe's hand froze in mid-air. She looked like she had been turned to stone.

The living room was so quiet you could hear the ticking of the wall clock.

Cody spoke first, his voice sounding dry.

"Let me explain."

"Explain what?"

I turned to look at him.

"Explain how you faked being sick? Or explain how that money wasn't actually meant for medical bills?"

Cody's lips trembled, but he couldn't say a single word.

I nodded, then turned back to Chloe.

"Your turn. Explain."

Chloe looked at me, her eyes starting to well up with tears.

But she didn't cry, nor did she make an excuse.

After a brief silence, she actually tilted her chin up slightly.

"Fine. Yes, I gave the money to Cody for his house."

When she said this, her tone was no longer cautious.

"I told him to fake the illness. Because if I had asked you directly to give him the money for a house, you would have never agreed."

I stared at her, almost unable to believe my ears.

We had been married for six years.

For six years, I woke up every day thinking I had married the perfect wife.

She was frugal, sensible, and never wasted a penny.

I thought we were building a life together, enduring hardships hand-in-hand.

Turns out, she was only enduring hardships with me so she could siphon off all the money I saved and hand it over to her brother on a silver platter.

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice steady.

"So, that three hundred thousand dollars—every single penny in our savings account—you gave it all to Cody in one go."

Chloe didn't deny it.

"He's my brother. If I don't help him, who will?"

"He fakes an illness, you lie to me, and you call that 'helping'?"

Chloe's voice hardened.

"If I didn't put it that way, would you have given me the money? Do you even know how you usually treat Cody? Every time he came to us for help, you made excuses. He's my only brother. Am I supposed to just ignore him?"

I stared into her eyes.

"And your way of caring for him is to play your husband like a fool?"