Chapter 2

The next day, I didn't wake up to the sound of the alarm for the first time in ages—I slept until my body naturally awakened.

This was a luxury I hadn't experienced since getting married.

On workdays, I had to get up early for work. On my days off, I was busy taking care of Dorothy. So, I never had any time to sleep in.

Stella, on the other hand, was up early as usual. She prepared breakfast for Dorothy, ate with her, and then took her to the kindergarten. After that, she went grocery shopping. By the time the aroma of food drifted from the kitchen, I was just starting to wake up.

When I stumbled out of the bedroom with a messy bedhead, I startled Stella.

"W-Why didn't you go to work?" she asked in surprise.

I yawned and replied casually, "Didn't I tell you yesterday that I quit my job?"

Stella looked at me doubtfully, still holding the spatula, as if trying to determine whether I was serious.

"You're joking again, aren't you?" she said, going back into the kitchen to continue cooking.

For the next few days, I stuck to the same routine. I woke up whenever I felt like it, had lunch, and then spent the entire afternoon in the study playing video games until the sun went down. When Stella came back from picking Dorothy up from kindergarten, I'd come out to play with Dorothy.

This blissful routine lasted only three days. On the third day, just as I was about to retreat to the study after lunch, Stella slammed her cutlery down furiously.

"What are you playing at, Beck Meyer?" she snapped, glaring at me.

I maintained my unfazed demeanor. "I told you—I quit my job. I'm staying home to enjoy life now."

"Do you even hear yourself? The house mortgage is 5,000 dollars a month, the car loan is 2,000 dollars, Dorothy's kindergarten costs 1,500 dollars, and her dance classes are 4,000 dollars every six months.

"Then, there are all the other household expenses. That's easily over 10 thousand dollars a month. And you just quit your job? What are we supposed to eat and drink? Air?" Dorothy berated me without holding back, wagging her finger at me accusatorily.

I raised an eyebrow and replied with a sarcastic smile, "Oh, so you do know how high our expenses are? If you know how much it costs to run this household, why do you keep giving our money to your brother? Now, let's count how many times you've secretly given him money behind my back."

I began counting on my fingers while putting on a thoughtful expression. "Oops, sorry. It seems even two hands aren't enough to count them all."

Stella caught the sarcasm in my tone and bit her lip. "Beck, it was just 50 thousand dollars. Why are you making such a big deal out of it? That's my brother! So, he's your brother too. What's wrong with me helping him out a little as a sister when he's short on money?"

I laughed, clapping my hands mockingly. "What a wonderful sister you are! You're coddling him like you're his secondary parent. How marvelous!

"When my friend asked me to start up a business with him, I asked you for money, but you refused to give me any. But when Silas needed 300 thousand dollars to buy a house, you transferred it to him without hesitation.

"When my mom needed a stent for her heart condition, you didn't have money. Yet, when Silas needed money for his wedding, you immediately gave him 200 thousand dollars.

"And now, when the pigsty at my mom's place was destroyed by heavy rain, I found out you'd transferred the money to Silas again!

"Tell me, Stella. For all that you've done for him, has Silas ever bought Dorothy so much as a toy or a snack?"

Stella fell silent and stared at me blankly. As she continued to look at me, tears welled up in her eyes and began to fall.

"I never thought that you were keeping tabs on every little thing throughout our seven years of marriage. Are you squaring accounts with me now? Is that it? Silas is my brother. How can I not help him?" she countered.

I retorted, "Sure, go ahead and help him! Why don't you just sign over the house to him while you're at it? If Silas means so much to you, why did you even get married? You could've just stayed single, gone to work, and supported him and his family yourself!"

Stella pointed at me, but words failed her as she was too angry to even come up with something to say for a moment. She then swept the dishes off the table with a loud crash and stormed into the bedroom to start packing.

I didn't stop her. It wasn't like I hadn't thought about divorce before. The only reason I'd put up with things for this long was because I didn't want Dorothy to grow up in a single-parent household.

Dragging her suitcase, Stella stormed past me without a glance and slammed the door on her way out.

Good! I felt less annoyed and at peace with her gone.

After cleaning up the mess she'd left behind, I drove straight to Dorothy's kindergarten. I told her teacher there was a family emergency and took her home.

When Dorothy saw me, she was thrilled. "Daddy! Why are you picking me up? Where's Mommy?"

I picked her up and kissed her cheek. "Mommy went to Grandma's house. Why don't I take you to the amusement park today?"

Dorothy blinked in surprise. Then, she started cheering and waving her arms excitedly. "Yay!"