1 To save up for a house down payment, Derek froze my shared credit card. He told me we both needed to learn to scrimp and pinch every penny. One dollar had to do the work of two. I agreed. I started buying clothes from thrift bins and eating clearance food past its expiration date. Even when I was burning up with a 102-degree fever, I couldn't bring myself to spend money on an Uber to the emergency room. Standing in line at the hospital checkout, my bank account had barely thirty dollars left. Shaking from the chills, I called Derek for help. When the call connected, a polite sales associate's voice echoed through the speaker: "Mr. Derek, this three-million-dollar pink diamond necklace complements this young lady's elegance perfectly." Without a second of hesitation, Derek replied: "Swipe the card." I froze in place. Looking down at the medical bill for $150, tears spilled uncontrollably down my face. He wasn't broke. He didn't need to cut corners. He simply felt I wasn't worth spending a single dime on. … The phone slipped through my fingers. I bit my lower lip until it bled, choking back the sob in my throat. The emergency room lobby was loud and chaotic, but everything turned dead quiet in my head. I stumbled out of the hospital and found a tiny neighborhood clinic to buy a cheap pack of antibiotics. My balance was down to twenty-eight dollars. When I opened the door to the basement apartment Derek and I rented, the familiar stench of mold and stale dampness hit me square in the face. A note from Derek lay on the table: "Don't buy groceries today. There are leftovers from two days ago in the fridge." I burst into a sudden laugh, but tears kept streaming down my cheeks. Five years together. Five years of living like beggars. And in return, he threw millions around for another woman without blinking. I shoved a handful of pills into my mouth, swallowed them dry, and dragged myself toward the bed, gripping the wall for support. My sleep was restless, haunted by fragmented memories of the past five years. When Derek pursued me in college, he made sure the whole campus knew. The day I finally said yes, his eyes shone with a tender warmth that seemed capable of melting ice. That passionate young boy in my memory slowly overlapped with the Derek of today, growing colder and stranger by the second. Through the haze of fever, I heard the door click open. Derek stepped softly to the bedside and touched my forehead. Moments later, he laid a cool, damp towel over my brow. "Nora, get well soon," he murmured, his voice scratchy. "It's my fault I'm so useless. I hate making you suffer like this with me." A tear slipped from the corner of my eye into the pillow. Derek, I suddenly realize I don't know who you are at all. The next morning, the aroma of food woke me up. Derek was tied into an apron, busy in our tiny makeshift kitchen nook. He turned, and his eyes lit up when he saw me awake. "Nora! How are you feeling? Anything hurting?" I shook my head. "Breakfast is almost ready. Want me to bring it to bed, or are you getting up?" I threw off the blanket, but my knees buckled the second my feet touched the floor. Derek rushed over in three quick strides and caught me. "See? Small apartments have their perks. If this place were any bigger, you would've hit the floor hard," he boasted with a light chuckle. I walked into the kitchen in silence. In the pot was leftover rice from who knows how many days ago, mixed with a few lonely shreds of egg. He scratched the back of his neck, his eyes swimming with guilt. "Nora, I'm sorry. This was all we had left. If only I had money, I could at least get you something decent while you're sick." My hands started shaking uncontrollably. My heart went completely numb. Derek filled a bowl and handed it to me. I forced down the tasteless food, noticing his side of the table was completely empty. "You're not eating?" Derek stiffened for a second. "I'm not hungry. Besides, there isn't much left. You're the patient, so you get priority." I glanced at him without saying a word. A few minutes later, Derek washed my empty bowl and dried his hands. "Nora, I have to run to work. Rest up at home today. Don't worry about working." He rushed out the door. Shortly after he left, I followed him. I tracked him through a maze of quiet streets until he turned into an exclusive gated community. The sight ahead hit me like a bolt of lightning. The moment Derek unlocked the grand double doors of a residence, a woman threw herself into his arms. "Derek! What took you so long? I've been waiting forever!" Her soft, playful voice drifted into my ears. I watched Derek stroke her hair, pick her up in his arms, and carry her inside. Wiping away a stray tear, I opened my phone and searched the property values for this neighborhood. It took a moment for the page to load. The Crestmont Residences. Thirty thousand dollars per square meter. A full financial audit was required just to schedule a viewing. The truth slapped me violently in the face. Just yesterday, I was making excuses for him in my head, telling myself that maybe he bought that absurdly expensive necklace for a sister or a family member. Now I saw the reality. He had betrayed our relationship long ago and set up a second life with another woman. My fingernails dug deep into my palms. It took a long time before I dragged my lifeless body back toward our basement. On the walk back, a fleeting thought crossed my mind. If it were him, he would never treat me like this. Lying on the basement bed, I stared blankly at the water stain on the ceiling. When did it all start? I interrogated myself over and over. Yet I couldn't recall a single flaw in Derek's behavior. He was always the attentive, devoted boyfriend. Rain or shine, he picked me up after work. During my period, he always brought me a bowl of warm brown sugar tea at the exact right temperature. When we slept, he instinctively pulled me close into his chest. My heart chilled degree by degree. My eyes wandered over the basement we had called home for five years. Every piece of cheap furniture was something Derek and I had picked out together. It was modest, but it felt warm. A sharp notification chime shattered my thoughts. "Nora, an owner at Crestmont needs an urgent house cleaner this afternoon. One hundred dollars an hour. If you want it, I'll reserve it for you." To save up for a house down payment and build a home with Derek, I had taken on multiple side hustles. My thumb hovered over the screen. After a long pause, I typed back: "I'll take it." Maybe seeing the opulence with my own eyes would finally kill every last shred of hope in my heart. At three in the afternoon, I walked into that gated luxury estate carrying heavy cleaning supplies. The moment the homeowner opened the door, all the blood rushed to my head. It was her. The woman Derek was keeping on the side. She wore a silk nightgown, standing before a wall packed with Hermes bags. I stiffened for a second before stepping inside. "Hey, take your shoes off! What kind of cleaner are you?" she snapped, giving me an annoyed glare. "Don't ruin my imported wool rug." She rolled her eyes with pure disgust. "Deep clean the kitchen and the living room. Skip the main bedroom. And scrub the bathroom floor on your knees three times. The last cleaner used a mop and left it smelling awful." Under the giant crystal chandelier, her hands looked fair, smooth, and delicate. I looked down at my own hands, calloused and rough from years of hard labor. I gave a quiet nod. While I cleaned, she sat on the couch with her legs crossed, watching me like a hawk. Suddenly, she piped up: "Your job looks so exhausting. Thank goodness I don't have to work. My man takes care of everything." I forced a weak, bitter smile. "He must treat you well." "He's alright. Gives me fifty grand a month in fun money," she said nonchalantly. "Hey, wait! You missed a spot over there." She pointed to the fine gap between the floor tiles. "Ma'am, that's just the color of the tile grout," I explained helplessly. "I don't care! Figure out a way to make it pure white," her bossy voice screeched. "Am I paying you to lounge around?" I knelt back down and scrubbed with all my strength. "Ma'am, I'm finished. If you're satisfied, please leave a five-star review." Without waiting for her reply, I dragged my exhausted body toward the entrance. Just as my hand touched the door handle, the door swung open from the outside. Derek stood on the threshold. The moment his eyes landed on me, his pupils shrank in shock. "Babe, you're back! I missed you so much!" Derek brushed past me, lowering his voice to a harsh whisper: "Nora, go home right now." He shut the door behind him without looking back at me once. I stood outside the heavy door for a long time. Through the thin crack, I heard him say: "Tiffany, were you a good girl today?" His voice carried the exact tender affection I knew so well. My nose stung, and tears spilled down my cheeks. I hadn't been home long when Derek slammed through the basement door. "Why are the lights off?" He frowned, scanning the dark room. "Derek, why did you betray me?" I choked out, forcing my voice to stay steady. Derek sat down across from me and grabbed my hands tightly. "Nora, don't overthink this. It's just a misunderstanding. She's just a younger girl I know. There's nothing between us." My mind flashed to everything I saw in that mansion. "A younger girl? Does a younger girl call you husband? Does a younger girl get fifty thousand dollars a month from you?" "Didn't you tell me we had to pinch every penny to save for a house?" Derek's patience snapped, impatience flickering in his eyes. "Nora, are you done? I already told you it's a misunderstanding. Do you really have to cling to it like this?" "A misunderstanding? She lives in a luxury estate while I rot in a basement?" "A misunderstanding that you bought her a three-million-dollar diamond necklace, but couldn't give me a hundred and fifty dollars when I was sick in the ER?" Seeing my tears, a momentary panic crossed Derek's eyes. "Nora, I..." "You what? Derek, you look pathetic when you lie." "Enough!" Derek rubbed his temples in frustration. "Fine! I admit I've kept her outside for three years. But I spent most of my time with you, didn't I? Is it really worth making a massive scene over?" "I gave her money, but I gave you love. That's fair! What more could you possibly want?" "Fair?" Tears dripped onto the wooden table one by one. I let out a hollow laugh. "Derek, I spent five years with you. And in your eyes, all I deserve is 'fair'?" Derek went quiet for a moment before throwing down three words: "Believe whatever you want." He slammed the door shut behind him. I sat in the dim light for a long time, suddenly feeling like a complete joke. We were together for five years, and he kept another woman for three of them. Wiping the tears from my face, I stood up and started packing. When my hand touched the scarf lying by the bed, I froze. A few winters ago, an unprecedented blizzard hit the city. The office was miles away from home, taxis were impossible to catch, and I was shivering uncontrollably in the dark. Just as I resolved to walk all the way back in the snow, I saw Derek trudging through the drifts toward me. He took his own scarf off and wrapped it around my neck. I laughed, telling him his hair was covered in white snow. He said back then: If we walk together in the snow, we'll grow old together. But Derek, I don't want to grow old with you anymore. When I finished packing, my suitcase was only half full. It stunned me to realize how little I actually owned after all these years. The next morning, I picked up my suitcase to leave. Suddenly, loud, aggressive pounding echoed against the basement door. I pulled it open to find the woman Derek was keeping outside. She swept her eyes over the cramped basement, holding her nose in disgust. "I'm Tiffany. Name your price to leave Derek." Her gaze landed on me, dripping with disdain. I let out a cold laugh. "Name my price? A mistress thinks she has the right to demand anything from me?" Tiffany's face twisted for a second, but she quickly recovered her smug expression. "Don't flatter yourself, lady. A man's money is where his heart is." "Besides, every time he comes home from this dump, he complains about smelling like dirt and poverty. He takes an hour-long shower just to scrub you off." I stepped forward, locking my eyes on hers. "And? If he despises me so much, why hasn't he broken up with me?" Tiffany's expression darkened instantly. She grabbed my arm with one hand and swung her other hand hard toward my face. Slap! My head snapped to the side, a burning heat exploding on my cheek. Before Tiffany could react, I grabbed her wrist, leaned in, and slapped her back with every ounce of strength I had left. "Nora! What the hell are you doing?!" A furious roar echoed down the hallway, and a sudden, violent kick threw me backward. I crashed onto the floor, biting my lip hard as a sharp pain shot through my ribs. Derek marched over, his eyes fierce and cold. "Who gave you permission to lay a hand on her? Haven't I told you that if you have a problem, you come at me?!" Seeing me curled up on the ground in pain, a flicker of guilt crossed his eyes. "Nora, Tiffany is young and naive. Can't you show some grace? Do you really have to escalate everything into a fight?" I squeezed out a few words through my teeth: "I'm escalating things..." Before I could finish, another slap knocked me back down. "You actually dared to hit me back?!" Tiffany's face turned ugly as she stomped her heel hard into my side. Derek glanced at me uncomfortably, then looked away. Blows rained down on me in a chaotic blur. My body felt like it was breaking apart. Only after a long while did Derek step in to pull Tiffany back. "Nora, don't blame me," Derek murmured, looking down at me. "You're too strong. You're like an oak tree that can survive anything no matter what happens." "But Tiffany is different. She's a greenhouse flower. She's never been hit in her life. If she didn't hit back, she wouldn't be able to let it go." It took every ounce of strength I had to lift my head off the cold floor. "So you think I should pretend not to know about your affair, and just stand here letting her hit and insult me without fighting back?" I laughed, though tears kept falling. "Yeah! Obviously!" Tiffany sneered. "Did you really think you could win Derek back from me?" She reached out and slapped my face one more time for good measure. Ignoring the metallic taste of blood in my mouth, I looked straight at Derek. "You think so too, don't you?" Derek's chest tightened. "No, Nora, that's not..." "Fine. You don't need to say another word. I get it." I interrupted, my voice hoarse. "Everything that happened to me is my own fault. Derek, we're done." "Done? You mean dumped!" Tiffany pulled a thick stack of cash from her purse and slammed it against my chest. "This is from Derek. Your five years are worth just about this much." I gave Derek one last, deep look, then pulled myself up using the wall for balance. When I reached for my suitcase handle, Derek grabbed my wrist in a vice grip. "Nora, if you're willing, I can get you another apartment right now." I saw the absolute confidence in his eyes. He truly believed I couldn't bear to leave him. But the person who had been waiting for me for years had waited long enough. I wasn't going to make him wait another second. I raised my hand and slapped Derek square across the face. Then I grabbed my bag and limped away without looking back. Two days later, Derek went to my company, assuming I had cooled off just like every other time we argued. "Nora? She handed in her resignation two days ago," the front desk receptionist said, giving him an odd look. Derek's breath hitched. Nora's parting words flashed through his mind. His entire face turned deadly pale, and he bolted out the front doors like a madman.
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