When our old neighborhood was bought out by a luxury developer, we negotiated a deal for ten pre-construction condo units. My husband begged me to sell a few of the contracts to fund his former college mentee's cancer treatment. "Audrey, I'm begging you to save Chloe. She's so young, she hasn't even had the chance to experience the beauty of the world. I don't want her to die." I refused. He immediately filed for divorce and walked away with five of my condo contracts. "Audrey, I love you, but my hands are tied. Once we sell the condos and cure Chloe, we'll get remarried." I turned and walked away, never looking back. He never expected the developer to go bankrupt and the CEO to be arrested for fraud. Until the day Chloe died of her illness, those condos were never built. 1 Carter and I walked out of the courthouse. He grabbed my hand. With a complex, tortured expression, he said to me: "Audrey, I know you're upset, but I really had no other choice." He pursed his lips, looking at me softly. "Chloe is barely in her twenties. She's so pitiful, and she has no one else to rely on but me. I have to save her, and I know I can." His eyes shone with absolute certainty. I shook off his hand and nodded. "Right. Good luck beating cancer. Goodbye." Carter froze for a second, then reached for my hand again. "Audrey, listen to me. I don't really want to divorce you. You refused to give me the condos, so I had to do this. We're divorced on paper, but we don't have to separate. I'm still going to live at home with you." He tried to pull my head onto his shoulder, a dreamy look in his eyes. "Once the condos are built, I'll sell them, use the cash to cure Chloe, and then we'll have a baby, okay? Haven't you always wanted a baby? We'll get remarried. I know you still love me." I gently pushed Carter away, pulled the divorce decree from my pocket, and said exhaustedly: "Carter, we are divorced. Ten condo contracts, and you took half. You got exactly what you wanted. Since your wish came true, let's just go our separate ways. Bothering me anymore would be crossing a line." Carter stood there, stunned. His eyes widened as if he was seeing me for the first time. He frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but his phone rang. He answered it, his brow furrowing as he spoke softly: "Chloe, just bear with the pain for a little longer. I'm already getting the money together. We'll get you treated soon, and you're going to be fine." He paused, seemingly realizing his tone had been a bit impatient, and quickly softened it to comfort her: "I'm heading over right now. Don't panic, I'm always here for you." Hanging up, he turned back to me. "Audrey, I need to go check on Chloe. She needs someone by her side right now. Stop throwing a childish tantrum and wait for me at home." With that, he walked away quickly. I stood there, watching his back, and let out a long sigh. From the neighborhood buyout, to getting the ten condo contracts, to him filing for divorce—this past year had left me physically and mentally exhausted. I really didn't want to stay in this city anymore. I wanted to find a quiet place to clear my head and leave all this garbage behind. I pulled myself together and walked toward a real estate brokerage. On the way, I passed the construction site for our new condos. The frames were already up, and they were scheduled to be finished in a few months. At the brokerage, I listed my remaining five pre-construction condo contracts on the market all at once. The agent told me that since the buildings weren't finished and the deeds hadn't been issued yet, selling the contracts now would mean taking a lower price. If I waited a few months, they would be worth significantly more. I waved my hand dismissively. "It doesn't matter. Just sell them. I don't care how much they go for. I'm moving out of state." 2 I spent the whole day running errands and didn't get home until the evening. When I opened the front door, I froze. Chloe was lying in the master bedroom, her face pale, her head completely bald. Carter was crouching next to the bed, holding a warm towel, gently wiping her face. Seeing me, Carter looked up and gave me a relieved smile. "Audrey, you're back? Perfect. Chloe doesn't have chemo for the next few days, and her apartment lease just ended. She has nowhere to go, so she's going to crash with us for a bit." Chloe shifted weakly, looking at me with a face full of guilt. "Audrey, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I dragged you into this and ruined your marriage. It breaks my heart. I shouldn't be bothering you guys... I'll leave right now." She propped herself up, pretending to struggle. Carter immediately pushed her back down gently. "Chloe, don't move. Just lie down and rest." Carter shot me a glare, then turned back to comfort Chloe, his voice dripping with tenderness. "It has nothing to do with you. Audrey is just being petty and jealous. We're completely platonic, we're just like brother and sister. I'll talk some sense into her, she'll come around." I stood in the doorway, watching this ridiculous performance, feeling completely drained. I didn't even have the energy to be angry anymore. Leaning against the doorframe, I took a breath and spoke: "Carter, the divorce settlement was crystal clear. You took five condo contracts and half our savings. This house was left to me. You and your guest are not welcome here." Carter frowned, looking at me in disbelief. "Audrey, what is your problem? How can you be so cold-blooded? Chloe is incredibly sick! Can't you just let her stay for a few days? She has absolutely no one else. We're the only ones who can help her!" My voice rose slightly as I pointed at him. "I'm cold-blooded? When you sued me for divorce and stripped me of half my assets, why didn't you call yourself cold-blooded? Now you're bringing a stranger to live in my house, and you have the nerve to lecture me?" Chloe tugged weakly at Carter's shirt. "Carter, let it go. I should just leave. Please don't fight with Audrey because of me. I'll be fine, I'll just find a motel or sleep in my car." Carter immediately shielded her, glaring at me with a hardened tone. "Audrey, is this really necessary? Look at the state she's in! Can't you just be the bigger person? I know you're still mad at me, but Chloe is innocent! If you're really that miserable about it, then you can move out!" 3 The tension in the room spiked. Chloe suddenly started thrashing around, seemingly losing her balance, and fell off the bed onto the floor. The back of her head hit the edge of the nightstand, and blood started to seep out. I flinched slightly, but Carter went into a full-blown panic. He threw himself onto the floor, pulling Chloe into his arms. "Chloe! Are you okay? Did she scare you?!" He pressed his hand against her wound to stop the bleeding while frantically fumbling for his phone to call 911, his hands shaking violently. Chloe leaned weakly against his chest, her face even paler than before, but she still managed to look up at me and whisper: "Carter, don't blame Audrey... It was my own fault. Don't be mad at her." Hearing that, Carter snapped his head up and glared at me, his eyes filled with pure hatred. The paramedics arrived quickly. As Carter helped load Chloe onto the stretcher, he threw me one last icy look. "Audrey, I was so wrong about you. You watched her suffer and did nothing. You'll rot in hell for this!" I stood in the empty room, watching the ambulance speed away. I didn't move, and I didn't say a word. Once they were gone, I called my real estate agent and told him to list the house I was standing in on the market immediately. The very next day, the agent called me, his tone practically buzzing with excitement. "Audrey, we've got cash buyers lined up for all six of your properties! The market is red-hot right now, and the offers are actually a bit higher than you expected. Come down to the escrow office and let's get the paperwork signed." I agreed, quickly got ready, and headed to the title company. After finishing the closing paperwork, I walked out and bumped right into Carter, who was staring at a real estate market ticker in the lobby. His eyes were bloodshot—he had clearly stayed up all night at the hospital. When he saw me, he immediately marched over. "Audrey, I just saw the listings. You sold all six properties?! Are you insane? Are you really throwing this much of a tantrum? You sold your own home just to keep Chloe from staying there? What kind of monster are you?" I didn't say a word. I just turned to leave. Carter frowned and chased after me, his tone laced with frustration. "Listen to me, you're making a massive mistake. Housing prices are skyrocketing right now. I checked the projections—if you just waited a few more months until the condos are built, every single unit would sell for hundreds of thousands more! You just took a massive loss out of spite!" When I still didn't react, he paused, and his tone softened a bit. "Look, I still have about a hundred grand in cash right now. That's enough to cover Chloe's treatments for the time being, so I don't even need to sell my condos yet. Why are you rushing this? Look... once Chloe is cured, I'll buy us a new house, and we can go back to living a good life together." I glanced at Carter. He genuinely couldn't comprehend why I had liquidated everything. It was because I was leaving for good. 4 As I turned away, he panicked. He reached out to grab my arm, moving so quickly that a piece of paper slipped out of his jacket pocket and fluttered to the ground. I glanced down. It was a lab report from the hospital. It clearly stated that Chloe was two weeks pregnant. Carter's face drained of color. He scrambled to pick it up, his fingertips trembling. "It's not what you think, Audrey! Don't misunderstand!" He clutched the paper in his hand, stuttering through a frantic explanation, his eyes darting everywhere as he tried to act calm. "Chloe... because of her cancer, she's been so depressed about her treatments. She kept crying about how her biggest regret was never having a baby. I couldn't just sit there and watch her die with regrets! And the doctor said it was medically possible for her..." He swallowed hard and quickly added: "I swear to you, I never touched her! I never betrayed you! We just went to a clinic and did an IVF procedure! Once the baby is born, it'll give Chloe a reason to live, and maybe her cancer will go into remission! Plus, I spent the last few months prepping for this—quitting drinking, eating healthy—so I have experience now! We can use all this experience when we have our own baby, okay?" I stood there, listening to him, feeling nothing but sheer absurdity. When I didn't respond, he panicked even more and desperately tried to change the subject. "Audrey, you sold the house... where are you going to sleep? Where am I supposed to find you tonight? We agreed we were divorcing but not separating! Don't think you can use this as an excuse to hide from me!" I opened my mouth to speak, but his phone rang again. He answered it, sounding irritated. "Chloe, what is it now?" Chloe's frail, sweet voice echoed from the speaker: "Carter, hurry up and come over! I picked out my wedding dress! And I picked out a tuxedo for you too! I memorized your exact measurements, it's going to look so handsome on you!" Before she could finish, Carter violently ended the call. He looked up at me. His face was deathly pale, his eyes darting away in shame. He opened his mouth, but not a single word came out. 5 It took him several agonizing seconds to regain his voice. He grabbed my arm and practically shouted: "Audrey, don't misunderstand! It's really not what it sounds like!" I frowned, trying to shake him off, but his grip was like a vise. He spoke at a mile a minute: "It's just another one of Chloe's regrets! She's never had a wedding, so she just wants to do a fake wedding photoshoot! I'm just helping her fulfill a dying wish!" He swallowed hard. "We are completely platonic! There is nothing inappropriate going on! It's literally just taking a few photos to give her a nice memory! Once she's cured, we'll cut contact completely, I promise! You have to believe me!" I looked at his pathetic, self-deluding face, and honestly, I just felt nauseous. I didn't have the energy to argue with him, nor did I care to. I ripped my arm out of his grasp and walked away. He stood frozen on the sidewalk, his body trembling violently. For the next few days, Carter didn't reach out. I didn't know if he was too busy with Chloe's chemo, or if he just couldn't figure out how to lie to me anymore. Probably both. I couldn't care less. The silence was peaceful. I officially resigned from my job and said goodbye to my friends. With the cash from the six properties sitting safely in my bank account, it was time to leave. On the way to the airport, my Uber drove past the construction site for the luxury condos. I noticed that the cranes had stopped moving, and all the heavy machinery had been hauled away. The site was completely deserted. I didn't think much of it and continued to the airport. While sitting in the departure lounge, I was surprised to spot Carter and Chloe sitting a few rows away. Chloe was leaning heavily against Carter's shoulder, holding a glossy wedding photography brochure. Carter was gently turning the pages for her, his voice soft and tender. "Look at this one, Chloe, isn't it beautiful? You're a little too skinny right now, but once you're healthy again, we'll take another set of photos." Chloe smiled weakly. "Carter, I must have saved a nation in my past life to be lucky enough to meet you in this one. If I die tomorrow, I'd have no regrets." Carter gently covered her mouth with his hand, frowning affectionately. "Don't talk like that. Once we get back from our honeymoon, I'm going to sell all five condos and get you the best medical treatment in the world. Be a good girl." Then, sensing someone watching him, he looked up and made eye contact with me.
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