Chapter 1

My three-million-dollar year-end bonus was about to hit my account.

To celebrate, I went to the salon downstairs from my office and got a manicure for $9.90.

Yet the second I walked through the front door, before I could even share the good news, my husband, Mark, pointed a finger right in my face and started screaming.

"Chloe, you actually threw money away on your nails?!"

"How are you supposed to do the chores now?!"

His younger sister, Mia, shrieked at the top of her lungs too.

"Chloe, why didn't you tell me you were doing your nails?! I just bought a silk blouse, and I was waiting for you to hand-wash it!"

My mother-in-law shot up from her seat and joined in, berating me.

"You reckless spendthrift! Do you have any idea how much groceries nine dollars and ninety cents can buy?! Hand over your debit card right now—I'm keeping it!"

Listening to their increasingly vicious accusations, I laughed.

For the first time, I saw just how hideous their true faces were.

For the first time, I realized how blind I had been to pour every dime I had into buying them a house and designer clothes.

Since they couldn't figure out who the actual breadwinner of this household was,

they could fend for themselves from now on.

The moment I stepped inside, Mark's sister, Mia, started whining.

"Chloe, why are you home so late today? Hurry up and cook dinner already—I'm literally starving!"

My husband, Mark, walked over, planning to check what groceries I'd bought, but his eyes locked straight onto my freshly manicured nails. His face instantly darkened.

"You're late because you went to get your nails done?"

"Where do you get off blowing money like that? How are you supposed to clean the house with those on?!"

Hearing Mark's aggressive tone, I instinctively explained, "I barely spent anything. This set was only nine dollars and ninety cents."

My mother-in-law, who had been sitting on the couch cracking sunflower seeds, jumped up theatrically and pointed her finger at my nose, cursing.

"Are your fingers made of pure gold or something?! Wasting that kind of cash—do you know how many household supplies nine-ninety could buy?!"

"Do you know how hard my son works for his money? How dare you squander it like garbage!"

Mia grabbed my hand, her expression twisted in disgust as she backed up her mother.

"Chloe, all you do is blow money on stupid crap. What's the point of these cheap nails? You should've saved that cash to buy me the latest designer bag!"

My mother-in-law sneered.

"I've lived this long and never once gotten nails that expensive!"

"Besides, if you cook dinner wearing that toxic junk, are you trying to poison our whole family to death?!"

With that, she grabbed my wrist and tried dragging me toward the door, demanding we go back to the salon to get them removed and demand a nine-ninety refund.

I wrenched my hand free, thoroughly annoyed.

"They don't do refunds."

"Besides, I didn't spend a single cent of Mark's money. I earn my own paycheck, and today I—"

Before I could finish, Mark cut me off loudly.

"Isn't your salary our family's money too?!"

"You don't know the first thing about serving your husband or respecting your mother-in-law. All you care about is this cheap, trashy vanity! Go ask around—what kind of wife acts like you?!"

I had always considered myself a dutiful wife.

Right after we got married, Mark brought his mother and his sister Mia from their small hometown straight into the house I had bought with my own money.

Over all these years, he brought home barely a thousand dollars a month. Every single living expense fell entirely on my shoulders.

Mia refused to get a job after graduating college, living off the monthly allowance I gave her—not to mention the constant stream of luxury bags and designer clothes she begged off me.

Even my mother-in-law, who went out gambling every single day, demanded money from me whether she won or lost.

Yet there Mia stood, carrying the luxury purse I bought her; Mark stood there wearing the clothes I paid for; his mother wore the solid bracelet I purchased.

And this whole family had the nerve to gang up on me, screaming that I was reckless for spending nine dollars and ninety cents on my nails.

Seeing that the salon wouldn't refund the money, my mother-in-law threw a full-blown tantrum.

"I don't care! Do whatever you have to do, but scrape that garbage off your fingers right now!"

Only when I mentioned that getting them removed would cost extra money did she finally stop shoving me out the door. But she immediately pivoted, lecturing me on how irresponsible I was with finances.

Her beady eyes darted back and forth before she put on a faux-gracious compromise.

"Tell you what. Hand over your debit card. I'll hold onto it from now on so you don't go throwing money away."

Mia sneered along. "She's right. You can't be trusted with your own card anymore."

"Today it's nails, tomorrow it's microblading, and the day after that you'll be dolling yourself up to go flirt with other men behind my brother's back."

Mark had zero real capability and an ego the size of a peanut. Hearing Mia's words, he lunged forward and tried to rip my purse from my shoulder.

"Give me that card right now!"