Chapter 4 - The Empty Account
I didn't go to my room to read. I went to my office and pulled up the banking records for the household account.
While the family was busy arguing in the living room, I had already initiated the transfer of my remaining funds into an account they couldn't touch. I had paid the utility bills, the mortgage, and the insurance through my private account—all in my name.
There was a knock on the door. David walked in. He didn't look angry anymore. He looked terrified.
“Chloe, please,” he whispered. “My mom is crying. Ryan is calling me a loser. They expect me to pay for dinner, but... I don’t have enough in the account.”
“Why not?” I asked, leaning back.
“Because I transferred money to Mom last week,” he admitted, his voice barely audible. “And I bought the new console. I thought... I thought you’d cover the rest.”
“That’s the difference between us, David,” I said, standing up. “You assume. I calculate. You have nothing in that account because you chose to prioritize your mother’s demands and your own entertainment over your basic responsibilities. That isn't my problem.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Go outside,” I said. “Tell them the truth. Tell them you’ve been living off your wife’s charity for years, and now that the well has run dry, you don’t have the money to treat them.”
May you like
He stared at me, seeing me for the first time as a person, not a resource. “You’re actually going to let me crash and burn in front of them?”
“You’ve been crashing and burning for a long time, David. You just didn’t notice because I was holding the parachute.”
