Chapter 1 On the day of my divorce, my ex-husband wired five million dollars into my bank account. When I got home, my mother immediately asked me how much I got in the settlement. I lowered my head and said, "I walked away with nothing. I just wanted to prove a point." She slapped me hard across the face. "You worthless brat! I raised you for nothing!" My dad pointed at the front door. "Get out. There’s no place for you in this house." My younger brother "kindly" offered to let me stay in their storage closet—for five hundred dollars a month in rent. My sister-in-law laid down the ground rules: "Sam, we don't raise freeloaders here. You have to pay for your own groceries, too." I smiled and agreed. I lay on the broken folding bed and looked at the text message from my bank. Balance: $5,000,327. When I walked out of the courthouse, the sky was heavily overcast. My ex-husband, David Miller, stood on the steps, lighting a cigarette without looking at me. "The money was wired to your account. Five million, not a penny less." "Mhm," I murmured, nodding. He exhaled a plume of smoke. "Samantha, we got to this point, and there's no one to blame. We just aren't right for each other anymore." "I know." "Live a good life." "You too." He stubbed out his cigarette, turned, and walked away. I stood there, watching his car pull away. A black Mercedes. I picked it out for him three years ago. He said if I liked it, we’d buy it and slowly pay off the loan. Now, the loan is paid off. The car is his, the house is his, the company is his. Aside from the five million dollars, I had nothing left. Just then, my phone chimed with a text message. [A wire transfer of $5,000,000.00 has been deposited into your account ending in 8848. Available balance: $5,000,327.18.] I turned around and texted my family group chat. [Mom, I’m divorced.] Three seconds later, my phone blew up with a call. "Divorced? How much did you get? Who gets the house? What about the car?" I paused for a second, then regained my composure. "I walked away with nothing. I just wanted to prove a point." Silence on the other end. A long, heavy silence. I didn't dare make a sound, waiting for her to speak. Suddenly, my mom started screaming into the receiver. "Samantha Davis, are you out of your damn mind?! Walked away with nothing? Do you have brain damage? You're 32 years old! You're divorced, with no money and no house! How are you supposed to survive?!" "I’m moving back home." "There’s no room for you here! Your brother is about to have a baby, we don't even have enough rooms as it is." "I can just sleep in the storage closet." Chapter 2 She let out a long, ragged breath. "Fine, come back. But let me tell you, this isn't over! Wait until I see you, I’m going to curse you out until you wish you were deaf!" She hung up. I stood on the courthouse steps. The wind blew past, carrying a biting chill. I ordered a ride home. No, back to my mother's house. It was an old apartment building, sixth floor, no elevator. I dragged my heavy suitcase all the way up. When I reached the door, I could hear the TV blaring loudly inside. I knocked. My dad opened the door. When he saw me, he just shook his head and sighed. "Dad." "Mhm." In the living room. My mom, my brother Tyler, and my sister-in-law Chloe were all there. The TV was playing a reality show, but no one was watching it. Three pairs of eyes were locked onto me. Tyler was the first to speak, a hint of schadenfreude in his tone. "Sam, you really got divorced?" "Yeah." Chloe leaned in. "Why? Was David seeing someone else?" I kept the truth from her and said, "No. We just didn't get along anymore." My mom sat on the sofa, legs crossed, arms folded, looking like a detective ready for an interrogation. "Samantha, explain this to me right now. Why did you walk away with nothing? David has a massive business, and you didn't ask for a single penny?" "If I asked for money, I wouldn't have been the one initiating the divorce." My mom sat up rigidly, her voice shrill: "Initiating it my ass! Did you ever bother asking for our opinion? Even if your brain was flooded with water, you couldn't possibly be this stupid!" Tyler pressed a hand to her shoulder to calm her down. "Mom, don't get worked up. Sam must have had her reasons, right, Sis?" I lowered my head and stayed silent. My mom pointed a finger at me, scolding: "What kind of twisted reason could she have?! She's 32, no job, no money, no house! Samantha, what are you going to do now? Huh? Are you expecting us to feed you?" "I’ll find a job." Chapter 3 "What kind of damn job can you find?! You got married right out of college and have been a stay-at-home wife for seven years. What company is going to hire you?" My dad finally chimed in: "Just drop it. The divorce is already done, what's the point of yelling about it now." My mom turned her fury on him: "What do you mean, what's the point?! This is all because of how you spoiled her! You spoiled her from the day she was born, and now she thinks she can do whatever the hell she wants! A divorce is a huge deal, and she just does it on a whim! She walks away with nothing on a whim! How is she supposed to survive?!" "I’ll survive on my own." My mom sneered. "Survive on your own? With what? Where are you going to live? What are you going to eat? What are you going to wear? Let me make this clear, Samantha: in this house, there is no free ride for you!" Tyler interjected: "Mom, let her stay. The storage closet is empty, isn't it? We can clear it out and it'll be livable." "The storage closet is full of junk, how is she supposed to sleep there?" Tyler looked at me, a meaningful smile on his face. "We can make room. Sis, you can stay, but we need to set some ground rules. You're in a tough spot right now, and the family is taking you in, but you can't just live here for free. How about this: $500 a month for rent, and we split the utilities and HOA fees. Fair?" The storage closet? Charging me $500? I was so speechless I almost laughed. My 28-year-old brother, spoiled rotten since childhood. He had changed jobs seven or eight times. Never lasted more than six months at any of them. The $40,000 down payment for his wedding house? I paid for it. The $20,000 for his wedding reception? I covered it. And now. I have to sleep in the family storage closet. And he's charging me rent. "Fine." Chloe chimed in: "And there's the grocery money, Sam. I usually handle buying the food and cooking for the house. Since you're moving in, we have to keep the math straight. We'll count your share of the groceries as $250 a month. That's not too much, right?" Chapter 4 "Not too much." My mom added her own terms: "You have to do chores, too. Chloe is pregnant, she can't be exhausted. From now on, you're in charge of all the cooking, dishwashing, and mopping." "Okay." Chloe added another rule: "Don't use the washing machine, it wastes water and electricity. You wash your clothes by hand." "Fine." "And don't take a shower after 10 PM. It wakes us up." "Mhm." Rule after rule was laid down. And I agreed to every single one. Their eyes were filled with disdain, completely devoid of any sympathy. Seeing that I accepted everything, Tyler gave the final word: "Then it's settled. Sis, go unpack. The storage closet is a bit messy, you'll have to clean it yourself." I grabbed my suitcase and walked toward the storage closet at the end of the hallway. When I opened the door, a musty smell wafted out. It was crammed with old furniture, torn cardboard boxes, and broken appliances. Near the window was a rusted folding bed, covered in a thick layer of dust. I set my suitcase down and started cleaning. From outside, I could hear their poorly muffled voices. Chloe asked, "Did she really not take a single penny?" "That's what she said. Walked away with nothing." Tyler scoffed. "What a total idiot. David's company is worth tens of millions, easily. She was with him for seven years and didn't take a cut? Her brain must have been crushed by a door." My mom sighed. "What do we do now? Do we really let her live here long-term? Five hundred bucks in rent, what's that going to do for us?" Tyler said, "Let her stay for now. We'll make her do the chores to earn her keep. In a little while, we'll find some divorced guy and marry her off as fast as possible." "Who would want her? Thirty-two, second marriage, and broke." "Some desperate old bachelor will take her." I crouched on the floor, wiping the dust off the folding bed. Tears unconsciously fell from my eyes. Chapter 5 The storage closet was tiny, less than a hundred square feet. Once I unfolded the bed and put down my suitcase, there was no floor space left. The window was broken and let in a draft. I taped some plastic bags over it, but it was still freezing. It was March, and the temperature at night dipped into the forties. My mom had given me an old, thin, drafty blanket. I huddled under it, listening to the sounds outside. The master bedroom was my parents'. The guest room belonged to Tyler and Chloe. They went to sleep by 11 PM. The sound of snoring drifted through the thin walls. I couldn't sleep. I opened my phone. My banking app. Balance: $5,000,327.18. I took a screenshot and emailed it to a secure secondary account. Then I deleted the text messages and deleted the banking app entirely. I couldn't risk them seeing it. The next morning, 6 AM. I got up to make breakfast. The fridge had eggs, milk, and bread. I fried some eggs, heated the milk, and toasted the bread. Just as I set the table, they started waking up one by one. Tyler sat down, yawning. "Sis, you don't need to make breakfast for us from now on. We can't wake up this early." "Then what are you going to eat?" Chloe sat down, resting her chin in her hand as she glared at the fried eggs. "We'll grab something outside. There's way too much oil here. I can't eat greasy food while I'm pregnant." "I'll be careful next time." "The milk is overheated. All the nutrients are gone." "Mhm." My mom sat down, glancing critically at the table. "Is this it? No oatmeal? No hash browns?" "I can make some right now." My mom waved her hand in dismissal. "Forget it, there's no time." "Mom, I want barbecue ribs for dinner tonight," Tyler said. My mom turned to look at me. Chapter 6 "Samantha, go buy groceries this afternoon. Ribs, a whole fish, and some greens. Cover the cost yourself for now, we'll settle it at the end of the month." "Okay." Chloe added: "Oh, right, Sam. Give the bathroom a deep clean today. The back of the toilet is turning yellow, it makes me sick to look at it." "Fine." They finished eating and left. Tyler went to "work." Who knows what new temp job he had found this time. Chloe went back to her parents' house, claiming she had a prenatal appointment. My dad went to the park to play chess. My mom went to play bingo with her friends. I was the only one left in the apartment. I cleaned the bathroom first. The back of the toilet was indeed stained yellow. I had to scrub for half an hour to get it clean. Then I mopped the floors, wiped the windows, and washed the curtains. I was busy until noon. I made myself a simple bowl of noodles. In the afternoon, I went grocery shopping. The supermarket wasn't far. I bought ribs, fish, spinach, and a little fruit. When I checked out, the total was $42.50. Carrying the groceries home, I bumped into our neighbor, Mrs. Jenkins. "Oh, Samantha, you're back? I heard you got a divorce?" "Yeah." "Oh my, why would you do something so foolish? David was such a good man. Rich, and he treated you well." "Mrs. Jenkins, I've got things to do. I have to go." I sped up my pace, practically fleeing back to the apartment. I cooked dinner that evening. Braised ribs, steamed fish, sautéed greens. Just as I set everything on the table, they walked in. Tyler tasted a piece of the ribs: "Sis, are you rationing the salt or something?" "Pregnant women shouldn't have too much sodium." Tyler grabbed another piece, complaining: "Well, I'm not pregnant. Make bigger portions next time. Who is this supposed to feed?" "Understood." Chapter 7 Chloe took a small bite of the fish and suddenly frowned. "Is this fish undercooked? It tastes too fishy." "I steamed it for fifteen minutes." "Then it must not be fresh. Sam, you need to be more careful when you buy groceries. Don't just buy stale food because it's on sale." "Okay." My dad ate in silence, not saying a word. My mom took two bites and put down her chopsticks. "Samantha, how is the job hunt going?" "I sent out a few resumes, but I haven't heard back yet." "Hurry up and find something. We don't raise freeloaders here." "Mhm." After dinner, I washed the dishes. They were in the living room watching TV, laughing loudly. I washed the dishes while looking out the window. It was dark, and the lights in the apartment building across the street were turning on one by one. Behind each of those lights was a family. I used to have a family, too. David used to help me wash the dishes. I used to massage his shoulders. On weekends, we would watch movies and cook together. But later, he got busier and busier, coming home later and later. Eventually, he stopped coming home at all. He said, "Samantha, we just don't have anything to talk about anymore." I said, "Then let's get a divorce." He offered me money, a house, and a car. I told him I only wanted what I deserved. He asked how much that was. I told him, "We were married for seven years. I stayed with you when the company was in debt, and I stayed until it was worth fifty million. I want five million dollars. That's more than fair." He gave it to me. Five million dollars. I had run the numbers; I knew he could afford it. I had hired a private investigator long ago to audit his company's books and track the assets he was trying to hide. I took the money with a completely clear conscience. He signed the papers so quickly because he thought I was stupid, because he thought I was sentimental, because he thought I still loved him. Chapter 8 He was wrong. I was just tired. I finished washing the dishes. I went back to the storage closet. I closed the door, and the world went quiet. I opened my phone to check the stock market. Before the divorce, I had used my personal savings to buy some stocks, making a decent profit. I checked my other investments; the returns were good. I hadn't touched the five million dollars. It was sitting safely in the bank. Generating over ten thousand dollars a month in interest alone. It was enough for me to survive. But it wasn't enough for me to live well. And I fully intended to live well. But before that. I needed to see certain people for who they truly were. Like my own family. During my second week there. Tyler came looking for me. "Sis, I need to talk to you about something." "Speak." "I want to upgrade my car. That beat-up Hyundai is five years old, it's time for a change." "What are you looking at?" "An Audi A4. It's about forty grand. I need a ten-thousand-dollar down payment, and I'll cover the monthly loan myself. Sis, do you have any cash? Let me borrow some." "I don't have any money." "Just ten grand. You got divorced from David, he must have given you something, right? You don't even have ten grand?" "I walked away with nothing. You already knew that." "You really didn't ask for a single penny? Sis, don't lie to me. David is loaded. Just what slips through his fingers is enough to live on. Are you hiding a secret stash?" "No." His expression turned cold, tearing off his friendly mask: "Fine. If you won't lend it, you won't. I don't know why I even bothered asking. And to think I was so good to you when we were kids. Whenever I had anything good to eat, I always gave you half." He stormed out. I kept wiping the desk. When we were kids, whatever "good food" there was... He always ate first, and I only got what he couldn't finish. Chapter 9 What he meant by "giving me half"... Was giving me the parts he hated, the parts he was sick of. That night, Chloe came looking for me. "Sam, I need to talk to you." "Go ahead." "My parents are coming to visit next month, and they need to stay for a few days. We only have three bedrooms, so there's not enough space. Do you think you could stay somewhere else for a few days? We'll pay for the hotel." "Stay where?" "Just that budget motel across from our complex. It's $50 a night. For a week, that's $350. Is that okay?" "I'll think about it." "Sam, it's not that I want to kick you out. It's just that my parents are older, it's not appropriate to make them sleep in the storage closet. You're young, you can rough it for a few days." "Mhm." She suddenly lowered her voice: "Also, Tyler wants to get a new car, and he's short ten grand. Sam, if you have the money, you should help him out. He's your only brother. If you don't help him, who will?" "I really don't have any money." She frowned and sneered: "Then what was the point of your divorce? You walked away without a single penny, just to prove a point? Sam, can pride put food on the table? You're living in a storage closet, eating our food, using our electricity. Are you satisfied with your 'pride' now?" "I am." She looked at me like I was a complete idiot, shook her head, and left. The next day, my mom cornered me. "Samantha, your brother is buying a car and needs ten grand. Do you have it or not?" "I don't." "You really don't?" "I really don't." "Then what about the jewelry and designer bags from your marriage? If you sell those, they're worth something." "I gave them all back to him."
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