Chapter 3: Beachside Arguments and Broken Promises

"Honey, why are you so happy today?"

At dinner, my husband picked up a rib for me, smiling.

His eyes crinkled at the corners, the way they did when he was truly happy.

I pressed my lips together and tried to sound offhand:

"The boss talked to me. Said I’ve done well these past two years, planning to promote me and give me a forty percent raise."

I tried to keep my tone breezy, like it was no big deal. My heart pounded anyway, a wild drumbeat in my chest.

"Really?" His eyes lit up. "Babe, you’re amazing!"

He hugged me tight, excitement bubbling over.

His arms squeezed me so close I could barely breathe, but I didn’t mind. I let myself melt into him, just for a second.

"That’ll take a lot of pressure off the mortgage! I should work harder too, pick up some side gigs. I can’t let you carry everything."

He sounded so earnest, so determined. For a moment, I almost blurted out everything.

I leaned on his shoulder, my nose prickling with tears I wouldn’t let fall.

I was lying to him.

But if I didn’t, would he end up like Barry, dizzy from a windfall he didn’t understand?

The question haunted me, twisting guilt and fear together in my chest.

The next day, I went to the bank.

The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead as I filled out the paperwork, hands clammy. I glanced around, half-expecting someone to question the sudden influx.

Five hundred thousand went into the family account, labeled "salary bonus."

Five hundred thousand went into a new private account, password known only to me.

The teller smiled. "Ma’am, would you like to look into any investment products?"

Her voice was polite, but I could sense the curiosity behind her eyes.

People don’t just drop that kind of money every day. I could almost hear her thinking it.

I shook my head. As I left the bank, I absentmindedly opened my phone.

[Survival time +101,280 minutes] (71 days)

Was my time really growing in value?

I stared at the numbers, feeling both rich and impossibly fragile. I wondered what would happen if the clock ran out.

Right then, Barry was traveling the world.

Champagne under the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

A private helicopter at a Swiss ski resort.

An infinity pool at a Beverly Hills mansion.

His feed was a highlight reel of every luxury I’d ever dreamed of, and some I’d never even imagined.

Caption: "Live it up while you can!"

The words felt like a dare, or maybe a warning.

"I heard he bought an island villa in the Caribbean outright," Marissa said as she scrolled through her phone. "His wife quit her job too, posting luxury goods every day."

Her voice was tinged with disbelief, but also envy.

I stared at Barry’s showy smile in the photos and suddenly noticed:

The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes had deepened.

Like something was draining the life out of him.

His skin looked sallow. His smile stretched a little too wide. I shivered, even though the office was warm.

3

Maybe Barry got to me.

That night, I put my phone away and said to my husband, who’d just finished working overtime and was lying on the bed, "Let’s take Ellie to Destin Beach?"

I tried to sound casual, but my heart was pounding. I needed a break—a real one.

He looked surprised, but quickly frowned. "Flights and hotels are expensive right now. Why not wait for the off-season?"

I could practically hear the calculator running in his head, every expense tallied up.

"If we run out of money, we’ll earn more. Once Ellie starts school, we won’t get this chance again." I cut him off, quickly opening the app. "Look, Destin Grandview Hotel, two nights in a gulf-view suite, only $580!"

I flashed the screen, making sure he only saw the discounted rate. I’d spent hours hunting for deals, desperate to make it seem reasonable.

It was a family suite that normally cost $900, but I tilted my phone so he couldn’t see the price clearly.

A little white lie, just to make it easier for both of us.

He hesitated, about to say more, but our daughter suddenly ran over and hugged his leg.

"Daddy! I want to see the ocean!"

Her eyes were huge, pleading. She’d never even seen the beach before.

So, he gave in.

He ruffled her hair, sighing in mock defeat. "Alright, princess. Let’s go see the ocean."

On our first day in Destin, I dragged them to the seafood market.