Part 3The Price of a Midlife Crisis

Ethan glanced at me in the rearview mirror, his eyes betraying his guilt.

I didn't react. I just gave a noncommittal "Mhm."

And walked Leo up to my mom's front door.

I knew Ethan was lying through his teeth. There was absolutely a catch with the sale of that house.

After I put Leo to bed, I stepped out onto the porch and called the private real estate agent I had hired.

"1.2 million cash offer. I'll take it."

"Tomorrow morning at 9:30 AM, bring your buyer to the property."

The agent's voice lit up with excitement.

"You got it, Maya! Consider it done."

At 9:00 AM sharp the next morning, Ethan arrived with his 'realtor.'

I flipped open the contract they placed on the kitchen counter.

The sale price listed was $450,000.

I set the pen down.

"This price is a joke."

"I'm not signing this."

Ethan shot a panicked look at the realtor.

The realtor quickly stepped forward, flashing a greasy, condescending smile.

"Look, Maya, I know you're just a stay-at-home mom, so you probably aren't keeping up with the macroeconomic trends. But the housing market is absolutely tanking right now. Getting a buyer to bite on a used home in this climate is a miracle. I literally just closed a house in the next subdivision over for 400k flat!"

I held my hand out directly in front of him.

"Is that right?"

"Show me the closing disclosure for that 400k house. If you can find a house in this zip code for 400k, I'll buy it in cash right now."

The realtor's smug smile vanished. He stood there, completely silent.

Ethan's face darkened, and he aggressively stepped into my space.

"Why the hell are you trying to pick a fight with him?!"

"Didn't I literally tell you yesterday that the market crashed? 450k is a massive payout right now! As soon as the wire clears, I will personally transfer $225k into your account! Just sign the damn paper!"

Ethan forcefully shoved the pen back into my hand.

"Hold on."

"Hold on for what?! Maya, I do not have the time to play games with you! The corporate executives are breathing down my neck right now, and taking a half-day off to sell this house is already putting me in the crosshairs! Stalling won't change anything. I am divorcing you regardless!"

I gripped the pen, standing my ground.

"I said, hold on."

"What exactly are you waiting for, I—"

Before Ethan could finish his sentence, the doorbell rang.

I turned around, walked to the front door, and ushered in the agent I had hired, along with his cash buyer.

"I hired my own agent. They secured a cash offer for 1.2 million."

"Ethan. It's your turn to sign."

Ethan stared at the luxury real estate contract I shoved in front of him.

His jaw literally dropped.

"Are you fucking psychotic?!"

"Why did you hire your own agent?! I told you not to worry about it!"

I let out a harsh, mocking laugh, shaking my head.

"Ethan, we've been married for a long time. Do not insult my intelligence."

"If this house is only worth 450k, then I'll just buy you out right now. It saves me and Leo from having to cram into a tiny, outdated condo in the school district, or squatting in my mother's spare bedroom."

Ethan realized he was entirely cornered. He clamped his mouth shut.

But he shot a desperate, aggressive look at his 'realtor.'

The guy immediately jumped forward, trying to block my pen.

"Ms. Quinn, this is a severe breach of professional ethics!"

"Even if you think you're taking a loss, we already had a verbal agreement! You can't just back out now! That constitutes a breach of contract! If you sell this house to someone else, I will sue you for damages!"

I was absolutely furious.

But I couldn't afford to burn the bridge completely with Ethan before the ink was dry on the divorce papers.

So, I directed all my venom directly at the fake realtor.

"Let me remind you of something."

"Conspiring to artificially deflate the price of an asset to pocket the difference is textbook felony fraud. And I don't care if you're just some scumbag fake realtor, or if my own husband orchestrated this."

"If I file a police report and bring this to a judge? A $750,000 fraud charge carries up to twenty years in federal prison!"