Part 3My Wife Used My Dream to Fund His Brother

The smile on Linda's face froze before she could wipe it away. "What did you just say?"

"I said I want a divorce."

The living room went silent again.

Howard was still standing by the window. He looked surprised, but not particularly worried.

Linda stared at me for several seconds before laughing. "Mark, seriously? Where are you going to live after we get divorced? You don't even have enough for a down payment. If I hadn't spent the last six years pinching pennies, do you really think we would have saved anything?"

I said nothing.

"You barely make anything at your day job, and how much can you possibly make driving Uber on the side? Without me, you wouldn't even be able to support yourself."

Howard chimed in, "Mark, don't make a decision you'll regret. We can sit down and talk this through."

I ignored him and kept my eyes on Linda. "Are you finished?"

Linda folded her arms across her chest. "No, I'm not. If you're seriously going to divorce me over this, fine. Walk away with nothing and give me another 200 thousand dollars as a settlement. Do that, and I'll agree to the divorce."

She lifted her chin even higher, as though she'd just laid down terms I had no choice but to accept.

I didn't answer. My attention had shifted to Howard.

The moment Linda mentioned the 200 thousand dollars, I'd caught the unmistakable flicker of excitement in his eyes.

I looked at him and chuckled. "Howard, your sister wants 200 thousand dollars from me."

He didn't seem to understand why I was telling him that. He nodded automatically.

"So let me guess. You're already thinking that's just about enough to buy yourself a new car, aren't you?"

Howard's expression froze for a split second.

Linda frowned. "Mark, stop twisting things. Howard didn't mean anything like that."

I ignored her. "Your sister asks me for 200 thousand dollars, and you're already thinking it'd be just enough for a car, aren't you? You've got the house. Add a nice car, and you'll be all set."

Howard shifted uncomfortably. "I wasn't thinking that. Stop making things up."

"You weren't?" I took a step toward him. "The second you heard 200 thousand dollars, you started thinking about what kind of car you could get with it, didn't you?"

Linda glanced back at Howard.

He immediately raised his hands. "Linda, don't listen to him. He's just trying to turn you against me. I wasn't thinking about any of that."

I chuckled. "Linda, your brother hasn't thought about you once through any of this."

She turned back to me, her expression darkening. "What are you talking about, Mark?"

"You really don't get it? Has he asked what happens to you after the divorce? Has he shown any concern about how you're going to manage afterward? You asked me for 200 thousand dollars, and his first thought was what that money could buy him."

Howard snapped, "That's a lie. Stop putting words in my mouth."

Linda stood between us, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of uncertainty on her face.

But it disappeared almost instantly.

"So what if Howard does want a car? He's my brother. If I want to help him, that's my choice!" Her voice rose. "This is Bennett family business. It has nothing to do with you. You're an outsider, Mark, so stop telling us what we should do!"

An outsider.

Linda pressed her lips together and turned her face away.

I stared at her.

For a moment, the woman in front of me felt like a complete stranger.

Then I nodded.

I didn't say another word. I simply turned and headed for the door.

"Mark! Where are you going?"

I didn't look back.

I slipped on my shoes, opened the door, and walked out.

Behind me, Linda's voice cracked as she shouted after me. "Fine! Walk out! But if you leave, don't bother coming back!"