Chapter 1

Three years into our strict "split costs" marriage, my husband used emotional manipulation to mold me into a penny-pincher.

He always said that relationships free from money worries were the purest.

I believed him.

Until I was bound by the [Perfectly Fair Expense Splitter System].

He promised a female friend a designer bag worth fifty thousand dollars?

[Ding! Account balance adjusted: $25,000!]

He bought my mom two hundred dollars worth of fruit?

[Deducted $100!]

He secretly used my paid streaming account to watch a movie?

[Double compensation: $20!]

Every single one of his double standards was mercilessly exposed by the System.

Our marriage became the laughingstock of the entire internet.

Leo Sterling screamed in a live stream, losing control: "What else can you do besides nitpick over every single penny?!"

But then, the System issued its ultimate mission:

[Divorce. Reward: $120,000,000.]

"Aurora, let's not let money spoil our feelings for each other."

On our wedding anniversary, Leo handed me a split-cost agreement.

I looked at his handsome face and agreed.

Three days later, a mechanical voice echoed in my head: [Perfectly Fair Expense Splitter System successfully bound.]

I thought it was a hallucination.

Until my husband's female friend, Tiffany Vance, called, crying.

"Leo, I can't afford that limited edition fifty-thousand-dollar bag."

The speaker was on, and Tiffany's voice was syrupy sweet.

Leo cooed softly, "Why are you crying? Forget fifty thousand, I'd buy you a five-hundred-thousand-dollar one if you wanted, sis!"

He was using the phone I bought, wearing the crisp white shirt I ironed, yet he was promising to buy a bag for someone else.

Tiffany's tears turned to a giggle: "Oh, Leo, you're so good to me!"

Leo hung up and smiled at me: "Tiffany's family isn't wealthy; she can't afford expensive things like that. As her brother, it's only right I look after her a little more."

A cold laugh formed in my chest.

Three years of marriage, and he'd never given me a gift worth over a thousand dollars.

For me, it was always about splitting costs:

"You pay the HOA fees."

"Let's split the dinner bill."

"Aurora, be independent!"

Now, he was splashing cash on another woman.

I didn't even have the right to question him.

My phone screen lit up: [Your account received $25,000.00.]

The System's voice simultaneously rang out: [Ding! Detected partner Leo Sterling promised to spend $50,000 on third party Tiffany Vance. This expenditure is deemed a non-essential emotional investment and should be jointly borne by both parties. The System has automatically balanced the account for you, transferring $25,000 from Leo Sterling's account.]

I stared at the bank text message, then at Leo.

He was still hunched over his phone, smiling, messaging Tiffany.

Completely oblivious that his account was now lighter.

This was, truly, perfectly fair.

I put down my forks and stood up. "I'm full."

Leo didn't even lift his head. "Okay, remember to do the dishes."

I walked out of the dining room. Soon, a furious curse exploded behind me.

Every penny, he believed, should be under his command.

Sometimes, even my money should be his.

He drank my water, never buying his own.

Now, the System was here.

It would calculate everything.

I returned to the bedroom and closed the door.

Tiffany's Ins story popped up: [Best brother ever, heart emoji.]

The picture showed the fifty-thousand-dollar bag.

Leo was the first to like it.

My phone screen glowed ominously, like a silent judge.

This marriage, finally, was going to be precisely measured.