Even after I got pregnant, my husband, Liam, insisted we keep splitting our finances 50/50. The crib cost $2,400; he only paid $1,200. Even when I started bleeding in the middle of the night, he covered the ER copay but made sure to ask me for my half the next day. I always thought this was trauma from his previous marriage. After all, when they divorced, his ex-wife walked away with a clean three million dollars. So after we got married, he made sure every single cent between us was accounted for. Until I waddled into the mall with my huge baby bump to buy some discounted maternity supplies, and saw him helping his ex-wife pick out a $60,000 diamond necklace. The woman complained it was too expensive and tried to take it off, but Liam held her hand to stop her. “Keep it on. It’s a gift from me.” “No need,” the woman smiled, shaking her head. “I haven’t even finished spending that three million yet.” “You practically took out loans to give me that divorce settlement. I’ve always felt bad about it.” Liam had already swiped his black card and gently patted her head. “Why are you counting pennies with me?” I gripped my shopping bag filled with clearance baby socks so tightly my knuckles turned white. We were supposed to go baby shopping today. He told me he was swamped at the office and to just “keep the receipts” so we could settle up later. Last year, when my dad was in critical condition, Liam paid for the emergency surgery—but made me write him an IOU outside the ICU doors. Tears fell onto the plastic shopping bag without warning. It turns out, I was the only one he ever kept a ledger for. I didn’t storm over to confront him. I just turned around and went straight to the hospital. Before the abortion procedure, I texted him a photo of the medical bill.[Joint expense: $3,600. Your half is $1,800.] … The doctor reviewed my charts and didn’t immediately hand me the consent form to sign. “You’ve fought incredibly hard to keep this pregnancy.” “The injections, the medication, the hospital stays… you’ve been through hell for two months. Are you absolutely sure you want to let it go?” I rested a trembling hand on my lower stomach, afraid to press down. How could I not want it? The day I found out I was pregnant, Liam actually took me out to a nice dinner and ordered two of my favorite appetizers. It was the rarest of treats. This baby was the greatest surprise of my life. To keep it, I had my blood drawn for progesterone levels so many times my arms were a map of purple bruises. Over thirty hormone injections to prevent a miscarriage. I didn’t dare miss a single one. After two months, my hips were covered in hard, painful lumps. Even sitting down was agony. I suffered through all of it. I never once thought about giving up. But my child didn’t deserve to be born into a home where love was measured in exact halves. Even in bed, Liam kept score. If he was on top tonight, I had to be on top the next time. It was the rule. The doctor had warned us to avoid putting pressure on my stomach during intimacy. But on his “turn,” he insisted. “You put in the work yesterday. Today is my turn.” Halfway through that night, I started bleeding. Liam’s face went chalk-white. He carried me down the stairs and sped to the ER, his hands physically shaking on the steering wheel. He stayed by my side in the emergency room all night, his eyes red and exhausted. The doctor clearly remembered me. “I was the attending last time you were here. Your husband didn’t hold back.” “The best medications, the most comprehensive scans—he told us to spare no expense for you.” She didn’t know that half of that massive ER bill was added to my tab. My phone vibrated in my hand. A Venmo notification popped up.$1,800 received. Right after, Liam texted.[How did the checkup go?] He thought the $3,600 was for a routine prenatal scan. I didn’t reply. The doctor noticed my hesitation. “If you’re just acting out of anger, take a few days to think about it.” The baby shifted slightly inside me. The primal, overwhelming instinct of a mother surged through me, and my resolve shattered. I couldn’t do it. Liam sent another text.[Wrapped up things at the office. I’ll come pick you up, and we can go shopping for baby stuff together.] He had already gone shopping with someone else. Why would I want to do it all over again with him? I didn’t wait for him. I carried my heavy bags and took an Uber home alone. There was a massive U-shaped pregnancy pillow sitting on the sofa. My belly had been growing fast lately, and my lower back was in constant agony. I picked up the pillow and leaned against it. It supported my back perfectly. The front door clicked open. Liam was home. He let out a visible sigh of relief when he saw me. “I looked all over the hospital for you. Why didn’t you wait?” He reached out, pulling me into a gentle hug by my waist. “How’s the pillow? Just picked it up.” “You haven’t been sleeping well lately. It hurts me to see you like that.” I leaned against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. But the very next second, he spoke. “It was $320. Venmo me $160.” My breath hitched in my throat. “We are married. Why do we have to calculate every single penny?” His tone instantly grew impatient. “Haven’t we been over this?” “Marriage is fundamentally a long-term partnership. Keeping the finances perfectly clear is the only way it lasts.” He had said that. On our wedding day. But back then, I only heard the word “lasts.” I genuinely thought he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. I thought his previous marriage had left him traumatized, and that as long as I never took advantage of his money… As long as I made sure he never felt used, he would eventually feel secure with me. But today, I watched him drop $60,000 on his ex-wife without batting an eye. I refused to believe his excuses anymore. “What about Serena?” Liam let go of me, his expression turning instantly cold. “Why are you comparing yourself to her?” “She was spoiled by her family her whole life. She’s too playful, she’s never had to work a real job to support herself.” He felt so sorry for Serena that he was willing to liquidate his assets and borrow money just to hand her a three-million-dollar settlement. But when I had to quit my job to go on bed rest for this pregnancy, completely losing my income, he still demanded we split everything 50/50. From the day I got pregnant until now, my running tab with him was $53,800. I didn’t ask any more questions. I couldn’t bear to let this baby go. But I couldn’t bear the thought of bringing it into a home where everything was divided in half, except love. Liam’s phone alarm went off.[9:00 AM: Take Chloe for hormone injection.] He casually swiped it away. “I have some business to take care of tomorrow morning, so I can’t take you. Drive safe.” I didn’t say a word. He gave me a long look. “You’re acting weird today. You’re not going to ask me what the business is?” I lowered my eyes. Why bother asking? There was no need for the injections anymore. I thought I could be ruthless. Until the next morning, when I went to the bathroom and saw the streaks of blood on my underwear. Panic seized my chest. Liam wasn’t home, and his phone went straight to voicemail. I had no choice but to grab my keys and drive myself to the hospital. On the highway, a car suddenly swerved into my lane. I slammed on the brakes, but I still rear-ended them. I sat there, gripping the steering wheel, panting heavily in sheer terror. Someone tapped on my window. “Are you okay?” “I’m so sorry, I was driving too aggressively.” I rolled the window down. When she saw my pregnant belly, Serena’s face drained of color in an instant. “You’re pregnant?! Move over, I’m taking you to the hospital.” Before I could protest, she pulled my door open, shoved me into the passenger seat, and got behind the wheel. Once we were back on the road, she tried to make conversation. “Don’t worry about making me late, I was just heading to a blind date anyway.” “My ex-husband insisted on tagging along, said he needed to ‘vet’ the guy for me.” “With him sitting there glaring at the guy, there’s no way this date is going anywhere.” The blood seemed to flow faster between my legs. So the “business” Liam had to take care of… was chaperoning her blind date. I stared at the diamond necklace resting against her collarbone. “Your ex-husband seems to care about you a lot. Why did you two divorce?” Serena laughed softly. “We fought. Literally every single day.” I gripped my seatbelt tightly. “What did you fight about?” Serena thought about it for a second. “One time I had a high fever, and he canceled a multi-million dollar contract signing just to come home and take care of me. I told him to go back to work, and we had a massive screaming match.” “Another time, for his birthday, I bought him a Rolex. He told me I didn’t make a lot of money and told me not to waste my savings on him next time.” “I got so mad I threw the watch into the lake. He jumped in the freezing water and spent the entire night searching for it.” I couldn’t even begin to imagine Liam jumping into a freezing lake over a watch. With me, Liam was always perfectly, terrifyingly rational. When my dad was in critical condition, I was sobbing hysterically in the hospital hallway. Liam paid the surgical fees, then calmly handed me a pen and paper, telling me to write him an IOU. That was the first time I ever screamed at him. His tone hadn’t changed even a fraction. “I can front you whatever amount you need, but you must put the debt in writing.” I forced my hoarse voice past the lump in my throat. “If he cared that much, why did you leave him?” The smile faded from Serena’s face. “We were too young back then. Too impulsive.” “The worst fight we ever had… he told me he couldn’t stand seeing me cry anymore. He brought up divorce.” She let out a long sigh. “His company was in serious trouble at the time. His cash flow was basically zero.” “He took out a second mortgage on his house, borrowed from every friend he had, and scraped together three million dollars to give me.” “All of his friends called me a gold digger behind my back.” She gave a sad little smile. “But honestly… I’ve been a lot happier since I left him.” “Maybe he was right. The person you love the most isn’t always the person you should marry.” The car was quiet for a few seconds. Keeping her eyes on the road, Serena said softly: “I talked to him yesterday. He said his new wife is great.” “He said she’s emotionally stable. Perfect for marriage. He said he never loses control around her.” Without me even realizing it, my face was entirely soaked with tears. He married me because I was convenient. All these years, he kept the ledger balanced down to the penny with me. Because he never loved me. Not enough to lose his mind over me, anyway. The car screeched to a halt at the ER entrance. I pushed the door open, and immediately locked eyes with Liam. His face was dark with fury. “Who drove you?!” Serena hopped out of the driver’s seat, freezing when she saw him. “You guys know each other?” “Wait… you’re his wife?!” Serena finally connected the dots. “Did you recognize me? Did you rear-end me on purpose just to interrogate me?!” A sharp, agonizing cramp ripped through my lower abdomen. My legs gave out, and I swayed dangerously. Liam instantly stepped between me and Serena, shielding her. “Chloe, don’t start trouble with her.” “Serena and I are ancient history.” I didn’t have the energy to explain. I shoved past them and stumbled through the automatic doors. At the billing window, my debit card balance showed exactly $300. Liam caught up to me. “I’ll pay.” He pulled out his phone to tap the scanner. “Just write me an IOU when we get home.” Serena reached out and pushed his hand away. “If you let her put it on a tab, how is that a 50/50 split?” “She hasn’t been working since she got pregnant, right? She’s just spending your money. Who knows when she’ll actually pay you back.” She pointed a manicured finger at my neck. “And she’s not broke! Look at that necklace she’s wearing!” My hand flew up to clutch the pendant. When my dad was dying, I wrote Liam that IOU. But my dad didn’t make it. This necklace was the only thing he left behind for me. “A debt is a debt. It’s only fair.” Serena lunged forward, forcefully yanking the necklace off my neck. The delicate chain snapped in her fist. “Since you’re too soft, I’ll collect collateral for you.” Liam looked at her with an exasperated, fond sigh. “Who made you mad today? Throwing a tantrum again.” He turned back to look at me. “If she likes it, sell it to her.” “Whatever she pays for it, I’ll transfer the cash to you.” The broken chain had sliced a thin, burning red line across my collarbone. He knew perfectly well what this necklace meant to me, yet he was ordering me to sell it to his ex-wife. My knees completely buckled, and I crashed heavily onto the hospital tiles. Right before the darkness swallowed me, I heard Liam’s voice above me. “I’ll cover the ER bill, just consider it payment for the necklace.” When I woke up, I was lying in a familiar, sterile hospital bed. The first thing I heard was Serena’s bratty, whining voice. “Your wife is nothing special. She’s cheap, and she intentionally crashed into my car.” “She’s nowhere near as perfect as you made her out to be. You regret divorcing me now, don’t you?” Liam didn’t answer directly. He just said quietly, “I’ll pay to fix your car.” Serena’s voice went shrill. “Why should you pay for it?! It wasn’t your fault she hit me!” Liam’s tone shifted to a gentle, placating purr. “Come on, I bought you that car anyway.” “Just let it go. Do it for me.” Serena finally giggled. “Fine. Only because I hate seeing you stressed.” My fists clenched the bedsheets until my knuckles were white. “The hemorrhaging is significantly worse this time.” Hearing the doctor’s voice, I opened my eyes. She walked into the room, looking sternly at Liam. “She absolutely cannot be moved or stressed out right now. It is highly recommended you hire a 24-hour private nurse.” Liam didn’t hesitate; he pulled out his phone to contact a nursing agency. Serena crossed her arms, scowling. He instantly caught her reaction and corrected himself. “A private nurse is only for your personal care, Chloe. It does not qualify as a joint marital expense.” “If you want one, you have to pay for it out of your own pocket.” Serena nodded approvingly, scanning the luxurious room. “And what about this?” “This is a premium VIP suite. You aren’t the one sleeping in that bed, why should you pay half the daily rate?” I gritted my teeth and pushed myself up on my elbows. “The baby isn’t just mine!” Serena laughed mockingly. “If you weren’t so weak, the baby wouldn’t be in danger in the first place.” “All this money is being spent on your body. Why should Liam pay for half of it?” “Honestly, stop playing the victim. If you can’t afford it, check yourself out and go home.” Liam looked at her with pure adoration. “Alright, alright. I’ll have them move her to a standard ward.” The standard ward was chaotic and loud, far worse than I imagined. There were three other women who had just given birth. Babies were screaming constantly. Family members were constantly shuffling in and out. Every single bed was surrounded by loving relatives. Except mine. Around dinnertime, Liam sent an orderly in with a takeout container. “Mr. Sterling is accompanying Ms. Serena to the auto shop. These are the leftovers from their lunch. Ms. Serena said it would be a shame to throw them away, so she wanted you to have them.” The food was ice cold. I took one bite and violently threw it up into a plastic bin. A sharp, stabbing pain twisted in my gut. I had to get out of bed to find a nurse for my medication. The moment my bare feet touched the cold linoleum, my vision went completely black. I collapsed onto the floor, instinctively curling into a ball to protect my stomach. Blood soaked rapidly through my thin hospital pants, pooling on the tiles. The families in the room screamed for a doctor. A team of nurses rushed in and hoisted me onto a gurney. “We still have a fetal heartbeat,” the doctor said grimly after the ultrasound. “But listen to me. If you lose this pregnancy, the damage to your uterus means your chances of ever conceiving again are practically zero.” I laid a trembling hand over my lower stomach, staring blankly at the ceiling tiles. The baby was the only thing I had left in this world. I was going to keep him. I propped my laptop on my knees, frantically accepting online freelance translation jobs. I took photos of the luxury stroller and the premium crib we had bought and listed them on Facebook Marketplace. I had to survive. I needed cash. Once the divorce went through, I had to provide for my child. The only things I couldn’t bring myself to sell were the tiny, brand-new baby clothes. Suddenly, Serena stormed into the crowded ward, her face red with fury. “Where is my ring?!” I stared at her, exhausted. “What ring?” “My wedding ring! The one Liam gave me!” “It fell off in your car after you hit me, and now it’s gone! You’re broke, who else would have stolen it?!” She glared at me with absolute venom. I glared right back. “No matter how desperate I am for money, I would never steal a pathetic wedding ring from an ex-wife who still can’t let go of a dead marriage.” Serena’s eyes instantly filled with tears. Liam, looking heartbroken, wrapped his arms around her tightly. He turned his head and glared at me with pure disgust. “Chloe, you are incredibly vicious.” “Give the ring back to her. She just wants her ring back.” My entire body shook with white-hot rage. “When she stole the only thing my dead father left me, why didn’t you call her vicious?!” Serena screamed back at me, emboldened by Liam’s arms around her. “You treat a piece of garbage jewelry like it’s a priceless artifact! If your dad really loved you, why didn’t he leave you any actual money when he died?!” “Your entire family is just a bunch of pathetic, broke losers!” The blood roared in my ears. I threw my hand out to slap her across the face. Before my hand could connect, Liam grabbed my wrist in a crushing grip. “Chloe, are you insane?!” SMACK. Serena took the opening and slapped me violently across the cheek. “Give me my ring back! My ring was a symbol of Liam’s true love for me.” “Not like you. You probably went 50/50 on your own wedding band!” I struggled against Liam’s iron grip. “I TOLD YOU, I DIDN’T STEAL IT!” The ward was completely silent now. The other families were whispering loudly.”Stealing is one thing, but trying to hit someone?””Her husband and his friend are nice enough to come visit her, and she has zero gratitude…” A nurse walked in holding a clipboard, cutting through the murmurs. “Ms. Chloe, you need to settle your outstanding balance for the room.” The husband of the woman in the bed next to mine immediately stood up. “Nurse, we don’t want to share a room with her.” “She’s a thief and violent. What if she hurts my newborn?” The nurse looked at me sympathetically, but her tone was firm. “Beds are very tight right now. You need to pay the balance immediately, or we have to discharge you.” Liam looked down at me coldly. “Apologize to Serena, and give her the ring back. If you do, I’ll pay your bill.” I gripped the metal railing of the bed and slowly lowered myself to the floor. “I’m checking out.” The private hospital he picked was too expensive anyway. I was going to transfer to a public one. The moment I stepped down the concrete stairs outside the hospital entrance, my stomach contracted violently. A blinding, tearing agony ripped through my entire body. I slumped against the brick wall. Dark, heavy blood poured down my legs, splashing onto the pavement. My phone started ringing. It was Liam. My hands shook so violently I could barely swipe to answer. “I apologized to her for you,” he said, his tone commanding. “Give the ring back, and I’ll come pick you up so you can rest.” I clutched my stomach, a pathetic, animalistic whimper tearing from my throat. Liam paused on the other end. “Why are you crying? Is it because you don’t have the money?” “I Venmo’d you $1,800 yesterday, why haven’t you accepted it?” I stared at the massive pool of blood expanding on the concrete, curling into a ball on the cold steps, my body convulsing with agonizing sobs. “I need you to send me abortion money.” “The baby is gone. You don’t even have to pay for half of the procedure anymore.”
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