Semua Bab The Cost of Love: Bab 1 - Bab 9

The day I was supposed to pay for some tests at the hospital, I found out that the 45,000 dollars we had been saving for a house had disappeared from my bank account. That was three years of mine and my husband's hard work, gone.Panicked, I called my husband, Francis Lewis, right away to see if he knew anything about the missing money.Francis kept dodging my questions, but after my persistent pressing, he finally spilled the beans."Chloe's divorced. She's got nothing to her name, and with a kid to care for, I lent her the cash to get by."Chloe Blake was his high school sweetheart. She left Francis when he was at his lowest, only to marry a wealthy man.Every time he spoke about her, I could tell he was still bitter, complaining that she never appreciated how much he cared.However, since Chloe was single again, Francis sang a different tune.I let out a heavy sigh and glanced at the medical report in my hand. "Just make sure you get our money back. We'll talk about everythin

I went home the next day.Francis was out, so I checked my phone and saw the picture he posted for all our friends to see, along with the caption he wrote.[I've met a lot of people, but in the end, you're still my favorite.]The photo showed just a glimpse of a woman's blue dress.He was trying to be all poetic. I was not about to hold back—I hit 'like' and left a comment.[Some creatures chow down on loads of meat but end up realizing they just love the taste of garbage.]The comment section was full of our mutual friends.They all thought the woman in his post was me, dropping comments like [Francis and Brianna are couple goals.]The moment my comment hit the screen, anyone with half a brain could tell things were off.The comments had been wiped out completely.Then, my comment was the only one left, sticking out like a sore thumb.I snapped my phone shut, feeling a twisted sense of satisfaction, and headed to the study to boot up his computer.I had always been big on

Francis did not waste a second after our divorce. He tied the knot with Chloe faster than I could say "I do".He was all over social media, flaunting his 'bliss'.[Life's a journey, and in the end, the star-crossed lovers make it home.]He posted a picture with Chloe and his son, all smiles.He looked way thinner, cheeks sunken, dark circles for days, but somehow still proud and beaming.I finally saw that little boy clearly for the first time. His face was so puffy that I could not make out his features.Some folks tried to be nice and dropped him a congratulatory comment.He shot back with several comments.[My boy's already two. Thanks for the love, everyone.][Big shoutout to my wife Chloe for giving me a son.][Unlike someone who's more like a hen that won't lay eggs, just squatting in the coop.]He went and blabbed about my private matters of all things.'I'm usually chill and not one to pick fights, but that doesn't mean he gets to throw shade.' I thought.I clapped

A month slipped by, and out of the blue, Francis tried to add me again on social media. I left his request hanging, but curiosity got the better of me, so I checked in with a friend about how he was doing. My friend's face said it all. With a heavy sigh, he spilled the beans. "Remember how Francis was all over the trending news? Well, his boss canned him for the bad PR, and there he was, midday, hauling his stuff back home."Can you believe it? He opens the door and there's his new bride, tangled up in bed with another guy! The dude caught in the act was the best man who caused a ruckus with the bridesmaid at the wedding, still wearing his suit."The image made me cringe with secondhand embarrassment, but a part of me thought he got what he deserved.My friend painted the picture."Francis was so mad that he passed out. At the hospital, they found out he had end-stage lung cancer. When he found out the treatment was going to cost 45,000 dollars, his wife bolted with their kid."

That night, Felix confessed that he had had a thing for me for years. He never got to tell me because I got married. Since I was single again, he did not want to miss his shot and told me to think it over.He even set me up in that fortress of a neighborhood and moved me in, visiting me daily to be my personal chef.Layla dropped by just as he was whipping up lunch in the kitchen.Layla grinned playfully and said, "Wow, your new beau is something else. Anyway, I'm here to dish some dirt with you.""What's up?"Layla could not hide her glee."Who else but your penny-pinching ex-husband, Francis? Just a few days ago, a buddy told me that Francis was in deep with some loan sharks. They've even started calling his place looking for their money."He wasn't coughing up the cash, and now, his nudes are all over the internet. His family and friends are getting bombarded by these debt collectors, and they're all steering clear of him. I heard he's been begging for loans left and right,