I have a system that detects when my wife is lying. And every time she tells a lie, $50,000 gets deposited into my bank account. One night, I discovered my wife was cheating on me. “You haven’t been seeing anyone behind my back, have you?” I asked. She turned to me, stammering, “N-no, of course not.” As soon as she said it, my phone buzzed with a bank notification – $50,000 had just been deposited. Now I’m faced with an impossible choice. Do I silently endure her infidelity and keep getting rich? Or do I confront her and get a divorce? I got home from work and took off my shoes, placing them neatly in the shoe rack. My wife Mia rushed out of the bedroom. “Why are you home so late? You might as well have stayed out all night!” she snapped, tightening the loose bathrobe around herself before plopping down on the couch with an irritated sigh. I glanced toward the bedroom. “Why are the lights still on in there?” Mia quickly got up and closed the door. A year ago, Mia had suddenly insisted we sleep in separate rooms. That was around the time our arguments started becoming more and more frequent. I agreed, thinking we both needed some space to reflect. But a year had passed, and our issues remained unresolved. I sat down at the dining table, eyeing the leftover food with a wry smile. Before leaving work, I had texted Mia: “Honey, I just got off work and haven’t eaten yet. Could you heat up some dinner for me?” Mia fidgeted nervously. “We’re out of groceries. I only ordered takeout for myself, so…there’s nothing left.” I nodded, but then noticed a pair of ripped fishnet stockings by the table. I picked them up. Mia snatched them out of my hand, looking flustered. Before I could say anything, she blurted out, “I was just trying them on earlier. Didn’t realize they had a run in them.” “Make sure you throw those out!” she added, tossing the stockings at my face. I removed the stockings and picked up a piece of meat with my chopsticks, pausing before asking, “You haven’t been seeing anyone behind my back, have you?” She turned to me, stammering, “N-no, of course not.” Then her tone turned harsh. “What are you thinking? Don’t start drama over nothing!” The bedroom door slammed shut. I knew Mia was angry. Normally, this would be my cue to placate her with an expensive designer handbag. But this time, I didn’t feel like indulging her. My eyes fell on the used condom wrapper in the trash can. My phone buzzed on the table. It was a bank notification – $50,000 had just been deposited. Mia had lied.
I couldn’t understand how we had ended up like this. We used to be so in love. We were college sweethearts who made it all the way to marriage. But ever since I switched jobs to the company Mia recommended, things changed. We started having small arguments daily and big blowouts weekly. There wasn’t a single peaceful day. Still, I never suspected she was cheating. I always thought I just wasn’t providing the lifestyle she wanted. Now that I had proof of her infidelity, I realized I didn’t even know who her lover was. I had to find out. A couple nights ago, a voice had suddenly popped into my head: “Congratulations, the system binding is complete.” I was totally confused, thinking I was hallucinating from stress. I just went back to sleep. But it seems I wasn’t imagining things. Every time Mia lies to me, $50,000 gets deposited in my account. I couldn’t help but laugh – the heavens were looking out for me after all! The next morning, I sat on the living room couch waiting for Mia to come out. The whole company had the day off. When Mia emerged from the bedroom, she was startled to see me there. She quickly composed herself. “God, you scared me! Sitting there like a ghost.” She rolled her eyes at me, then spent a long time primping in front of the mirror, applying powder and carefully putting on lipstick. It looked like she was getting dolled up to meet someone important. In all our years of marriage, she had never put this much effort into her appearance for me. She only acted sweet when I got my paycheck. “Where are you going?” I asked casually. “None of your business,” Mia snapped. “Don’t think I’ve forgiven you for yesterday just because I didn’t bring it up. You better buy me that new designer bag if you want me to let it go.” Just as I had predicted. “But don’t you control all my money?” I asked. “How am I supposed to buy you anything?” For years, I had given Mia whatever she wanted. Even when we didn’t have the money, I would borrow from friends to make sure she had the latest handbag the very next day. She shrugged. “Then take out a loan!” With that, she slammed the door and left, cutting off my unfinished sentence. Fine. She wasn’t even pretending anymore. She’d better not expect me to go easy on her!
I watched from the window as Mia got into a fancy car. The vehicle looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. I rushed downstairs and followed them. They eventually stopped at an upscale villa. Mia got out of the car. To my shock, the next person to exit was my boss, Ryan! My blood boiled as everything suddenly clicked into place. Mia pushing me to change jobs… Insisting on separate bedrooms… Constantly criticizing me… I had been the fool all along. It was laughable. I had given her my whole heart, only for her to feed it to the dogs. The cheaters were right in front of me, and I hadn’t even realized. How stupid could I be? Rage overtook me. I charged out of my car and punched Ryan square in the face. Then I whirled around and slapped Mia hard. “You goddamn cheaters! Get the hell out of here!” Ryan rubbed his swollen cheek, finally recognizing me. “Jack, what the hell are you doing? Have you lost your mind?” Mia quickly pulled me away and steadied Ryan. Of course – her first concern was for her lover. Tears welled up in Mia’s eyes from the slap. “Jack, what’s wrong with you?” “You’re cheating on me! If I hadn’t followed you, I never would have known!” Mia glanced at Ryan, biting her lip. “Jack, you’ve got it all wrong. Ryan was just giving me a ride. He forgot some contracts, so we came back to get them.” “Really?” I asked skeptically. “Yes, really!” Mia snapped impatiently. I studied Mia’s face, seeing only guilt and fear in her eyes. Of course I knew she was lying through her teeth. But I had no real proof besides my word against theirs. She would never admit to it. So for now, I had to pretend to believe them and dispel my suspicions. Besides, every lie Mia told meant more money in my account. Not a bad deal. I immediately switched gears, plastering on a smile as I helped steady Ryan. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Parker. I just jumped to conclusions. Are you alright? Do you need to go to the hospital? I can drive you.” Ryan waved me off. “It’s fine, no need. Just be more careful next time, Jack.” Ha! I had hit him as hard as I could. Of course it hurt. Mia chimed in awkwardly, “I’ll take Mr. Parker to the hospital.” She shot me a look of disgust. “You should just go home. You’ve embarrassed yourself enough.” Oh, you want some alone time? Be my guest. “Alright then, I’ll head home,” I said. “Mr. Parker, I’m truly sorry again. I’ll come by your office to apologize properly another day.” In a flash, they were gone. But what they didn’t know was that I had managed to plant a GPS tracker and voice recorder in Ryan’s car while steadying him earlier.
The next morning at work, the boss called me into his office. He told me to hand over my current project to another colleague – the one who got hired through connections. “But Mr. Parker, we’ve already gotten the client’s signature. We’re just waiting on the final payment,” I protested. “How can I possibly hand it over now?” Ryan slammed his hand on the desk. “You’ll do it because I said so! Who’s the boss here, you or me?” “Are you questioning my orders?” Ryan was right – he did call the shots at the company. I left his office in silence. Through the glass, I could see his smug smirk. I knew this was retaliation for yesterday’s incident. Fine by me. I’d been wanting to quit anyway. Mia’s lies had been steadily increasing my bank balance. Money would never be an issue again in this lifetime. But it wasn’t enough. I wanted them to face the consequences of their actions. From that day on, I showed up to the office but did absolutely nothing. I ignored all projects, spending my days sipping tea, feeding the office fish, and watering plants. After a week, Ryan couldn’t take it anymore. But he didn’t dare confront me directly. He had HR negotiate my departure, offering a severance package. Why didn’t he just do this from the start instead of wasting a week? I had gotten what I wanted – fair compensation. I could leave with no regrets. As I packed up my desk, I felt a twinge of nostalgia for my relaxing week. But there was no time for sentimentality. My mother-in-law had called, inviting us over for dinner in a couple days. She wanted to discuss her son Tyler’s wedding. I knew it was a trap. They were waiting for me to walk right into it!
Early the next morning, I waited downstairs for Mia so we could go to her mother’s house together. But Mia said, “You go first. I have some things to take care of.” When I arrived, Mia’s brother Tyler immediately pulled me to sit on the living room couch. “Hey bro, I heard you got a big severance package when you quit. Think you could lend me some cash for my wedding?” Before I could answer, Mrs. Thompson cut in. “Stop pestering your brother-in-law about money. He has plenty of expenses of his own.” She was pretending to be considerate, but I knew she had other plans for that money. Mrs. Thompson came over and took my hand. “I’ve had my eye on a house in the neighborhood. Tyler loves it and wants to use it as the marital home. You don’t need to cover the whole cost – just contribute what you can. When Tyler becomes successful later, he’ll take care of you in your old age.” “That sounds great! Your brother is looking out for your future,” Mia chimed in. “Mom has sacrificed so much for this family over the years.” How laughable. I had barely quit my job, and they already knew exactly how much money I had and how to spend it. Every sentence was about how much the Thompson family had suffered. “Mom, I was actually planning to use that money myself,” I said carefully. “I’ve been working non-stop for years. I thought I might do some traveling.” Mrs. Thompson and Tyler’s faces immediately soured. “Now Jack, don’t be selfish,” Mrs. Thompson scolded. “Spending it all on travel is such a waste. It’s much better to invest in Tyler’s future. He’ll take care of you when you’re old.” “Yeah bro, you know I see you as real family!” Tyler added. Sure, “real family” – or just an ATM to withdraw money from whenever you want? “Mom, I’ll decide what to do with my own money,” I said firmly. Hearing this, Mrs. Thompson stood up with a frown. But she couldn’t openly criticize me, so she busied herself in the kitchen instead. Tyler couldn’t say much either. He flopped on the couch and started playing on his phone. “Bro, go sit somewhere else. You’re in my way,” he muttered, effectively kicking me out. Just then, Mia arrived – with Ryan in tow. Mrs. Thompson’s face lit up when she heard Ryan’s voice. She came running out of the kitchen, all smiles as she welcomed him inside. Tyler put down his phone and offered Ryan a seat, rushing to brew some premium tea. I remembered that tea – it had cost me a month’s salary. I had bought it as a gift for a friend, but Tyler saw it and took it for himself. When I said I’d buy another one, Mia told me to just give the friend the second batch instead. Mia glared at me. “What are you standing around for? Go help in the kitchen!” Mrs. Thompson shoved an apron in my hands and pushed me toward the kitchen door. When I finally brought the last dish to the table, I realized they had already started eating. They hadn’t even saved me a seat. Mia looked up at me. “There’s no room. Just wait until we’re done and eat the leftovers.” Mrs. Thompson and Tyler said nothing. Ryan kept drinking his wine. Alright, you want me to eat your scraps? Then no one gets to eat! I flipped the entire table, sending food and dishes flying everywhere. I stormed out and slammed the door behind me, leaving only screams and curses in my wake. Mia’s voice was the loudest: “Jack, have you fucking lost your mind?!”
A few days later, Mia returned from her mother’s house. I had come home early and prepared a feast, waiting for her. Her coveted designer handbag sat on the table. When Mia got home, she barely glanced at me. Then she noticed the bag on the table and scoffed, “Don’t think buying me a bag makes everything okay!” I bit my tongue and gently led her to sit at the dining table. “I know, I know. It’s all my fault,” I said contritely. “Look, I made all your favorite dishes to apologize. And got you the bag you wanted.” Mia still seemed wary after hearing this. No problem – I had more tricks up my sleeve. I continued, “And you know that severance money from my company? You have full control over how to use it. What do you think?” Mia’s eyes lit up. “Really?” “Of course! You’re the love of my life. Who else would I give it to?” Mia fell for it, thinking I was the same pushover as always. She smirked, “That’s more like it!” She picked up her chopsticks, ready to dig in. I stopped her, putting on an air of mystery. “Wait, there’s one more thing.” I pulled out a bottle of wine from under the table. “Let’s have a drink and really talk. What do you say?” “Sounds good!” Mia got up to grab wine glasses from the bar. By the end of the night, Mia was drunk. I carefully extracted all her true thoughts. Every other sentence was a lie. The more she lied, the more excited I got. Watching my bank balance climb higher and higher, I knew it was almost time to make my move.
Early the next morning, the company group chat was blowing up. The main topic was how the company couldn’t make payroll and the boss was planning to flee. The business was going under. A former colleague chimed in: “Guys, I’ve got inside info! Word is the company’s been bought out by an even bigger boss.” “Makes sense. Time to jump ship and find the next gig.” The chat was full of people speculating about the boss’s recent suspicious behavior. It did seem to match up with the rumors. People were wondering who this mystery buyer could be. I couldn’t help but smile. I had set aside money long ago, waiting for the day I could acquire my old company. I was looking forward to seeing the look on Ryan’s face. My phone buzzed with an alert from the living room security camera. Mia was home. She had left early this morning, probably not remembering much from her drunken state last night. But why would she suddenly come back in the middle of the day? Then I remembered – the acquisition contract was still on the coffee table at home. On the camera feed, I saw Mia notice the papers. She picked them up, her face filled with shock as she read. Mia stuffed the contract in her purse. She called out my name a couple times to check if I was home. Confirming the house was empty, she rushed back out. I guessed she was going to find Ryan. The GPS tracker I had planted in his car showed he was parked outside our building. I pulled up the audio from the hidden recorder on my phone and started listening.
“You’re saying he bought out my company?” Ryan’s voice was incredulous. I kept listening to the recording. “Don’t worry, we don’t even know if his money is legit,” Mia said. “Want me to go back and stall him?” There was a pause before Ryan spoke again. “Yes, keep him distracted for now. I owe several clients their final payments. If they find out what’s happening, they’ll come after me!” “Try to get money out of him. He probably doesn’t suspect we’re together. He’ll likely still give you cash.” “Then we can leave the country together.” Mia’s voice turned coy. “I’ll do anything as long as I’m with you~” “Anything? Then let’s have a baby. Make that sucker raise it!” Ryan said. All I could hear after that was Mia’s breathy moans. I couldn’t listen anymore. My stomach churned violently, threatening to expel its contents. Those goddamn cheaters. I’ll show them what I’m capable of. That night when Mia came home, I casually asked as she took off her shoes, “Honey, have you eaten? Should I make you something?” Mia ignored me. I called out a couple more times. She still didn’t respond, marching right up to me and throwing a stack of papers in my face. “How dare you ask me that? Jack, how could you hide something this big from me?” she yelled. “What else are you keeping secret? Tell me – where did you get all this money?” Mia glared at me like she was trying to bore holes through my skull. Afraid I might get suspicious, she quickly added, “I’m just worried about you. I don’t want you getting mixed up in anything illegal!”
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