Chapter 1

For five years into our marriage, Kevin and I still kept our finances strictly separate.

We split the mortgage down the middle, meticulously divided utility bills down to the last cent, and even took turns buying condoms.

Our friends used to joke we were more like roommates than a married couple. I always defended him:

"Economic independence keeps our feelings pure."

On New Year's Eve, Kevin's old phone, left at home, suddenly chimed. Curious, I checked it. It was a notification for his company's million-dollar annual bonus.

I was about to call him with the good news when his call came in first:

"Suzanne, the company's performance wasn't great this year, so no annual bonus. Could you cover the utility bills this month?"

A cold dread settled in my chest.

After hanging up, I quickly rushed to the bank to check his transaction history.

In those five years, he had been sporadically transferring a total of a million dollars to my best friend, Vivian.

I opened Vivian's Ins. She had just updated her feed:

The caption read: "My husband's annual bonus just landed! Time to start a growth fund for our baby!"