\n\n\n\nIt was all an act, and I had been playing my part for way too long. The cracks had started to show, and as our fights became more frequent, I knew the end was near.\n\n\n\n
But I wasn\u2019t afraid of the divorce. I knew Mike well enough to know exactly how things would play out.\n\n\n\n TO GET THE BEST HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK TO YOUR EMAIL IN JUST 1 CLICK\n\n\n\n You can unsubscribe anytime. For more details, review our Privacy Policy.Subscribe\n\n\n\n He wasn\u2019t interested in saving our marriage. No, all he wanted was to win\u2014to win the house, the money, and the divorce itself.\n\n\n\n All I wanted was to be free of that shallow, materialistic life. But I wasn\u2019t about to let him take advantage of me, either. So, I decided to let Mike think he was getting what he wanted, with a little twist he wouldn\u2019t see coming.\n\n\n\n It happened one Tuesday. Mike came home late, as usual. I was in the kitchen, pretending to scroll through my phone, not bothering to look up when he came storming in.\n\n\n\n \u201cWe need to talk.\u201d\n\n\n\n I sighed, not even bothering to hide how uninterested I was. \u201cWhat now?\u201d\n\n\n\n He slammed his keys onto the counter, and I could feel his frustration filling the room. He always got like this when things weren\u2019t going his way at work, and naturally, I was the easiest target for his anger.\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m done,\u201d he said, his voice strained with tension. \u201cI want a divorce.\u201dI blinked up at him, calm on the outside but ready for this. I\u2019d been preparing for this moment for weeks.\u201cOkay,\u201d I responded casually.He looked at me, surprised. \u201cThat\u2019s it? No argument? No begging?\u201dI shrugged. \u201cWhat\u2019s the point?\u201dFor a second, he seemed thrown off, like I had just taken the fight out of him. He clearly expected me to plead with him to stay.But I was just giving him enough space to hang himself.\n\n\n\n The divorce negotiations were exactly as terrible as I had imagined. We sat across from each other in a lifeless conference room, lawyers on either side, while Mike rattled off all the things he wanted. The house, the car, the savings\u2014it was like he was listing groceries.\n\n\n\n And through it all, he had this smug little grin on his face, like he thought I was going to break down in tears at any second.\n\n\n\n \u201cFine,\u201d I said, barely paying attention. \u201cYou can have it all.\u201d\n\n\n\n GET THE BEST STORIES TO YOUR INBOX\n\n\n\n Put your email down here to SUBSCRIBE:SUBSCRIBEMy lawyer shot me a look that clearly said, \u201cAre you sure?\u201d But I just nodded.Mike blinked. \u201cWait, what?\u201d\u201cI said, you can have it. I don\u2019t want any of it, except my personal things.\u201dHe stared at me, stunned. \u201cYou\u2026 you don\u2019t want the house? Or the money?\u201d\u201cNope,\u201d I replied, leaning back in my chair. \u201cIt\u2019s all yours.\u201dHis shock turned into sheer joy. \u201cGreat. Then take this afternoon to pack up your stuff. It\u2019s not much, so that should be plenty of time.\u201d Mike glanced at his watch. \u201cI\u2019ll expect you to be out by six.\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cNo problem,\u201d I said.\n\n\n\n He sat up straighter, puffing out his chest like he had just hit the jackpot. And I let him believe it.\n\n\n\n Which brings us back to that moment in the elevator, where I finally allowed myself to laugh.\n\n\n\n As I stepped out of the elevator, I grabbed my phone. My fingers hovered for a moment before I typed a quick message: I\u2019m heading to the house to pack up my things. I\u2019ll call you when it\u2019s time to make your move.\n\n\n\n I hit send and smiled. Now the real fun was about to start.\n\n\n\n Packing up the house wasn\u2019t as hard as I thought it would be. I didn\u2019t want much, just a few personal items, mostly things that held memories that weren\u2019t ruined by Mike. The house always felt too big anyway, and it never really felt like mine.\n\n\n\n As I sealed the last box, I picked up the phone to make the call. My mom, Barbara, answered after two rings.\n\n\n\n \u201cHey,\u201d I said, trying to keep my tone casual. \u201cIt\u2019s time.\u201d\n\n\n\n There was a pause, then Mom\u2019s usual, no-nonsense voice came through. \u201cFinally. I\u2019ve been waiting for this moment.\u201d\n\n\n\n Mom never liked Mike. She saw right through his flashy act the very first time they met. The best part? She helped us buy this house. Mike thought he was getting a great deal, and now, thanks to her, he\u2019s about to lose it.\n\n\n\n I hung up, feeling lighter as I glanced around. No more pretending.\n\n\n\n The next morning, as I was making breakfast in my new apartment, my phone rang. Mike\u2019s name flashed on the screen, and I couldn\u2019t help but smirk.\u201cHello?\u201d I answered sweetly.\u201cYou set me up!\u201d Mike\u2019s voice was livid, practically shaking with rage.I switched the phone to speaker mode and took a bite of toast. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, what are you talking about?\u201d\u201cYour mother!\u201d he growled. \u201cShe\u2019s\u2026 she\u2019s in my house! She\u2019s taken over everything!\u201d\u201cOh, right,\u201d I said, as I chewed. \u201cRemember that little agreement we signed when she gave us the down payment? The one that lets her live there whenever she wants, for as long as she wants?\u201dThere was a long pause, and I could almost hear the wheels turning in his head. I could picture the exact moment he realized what was going on.\n\n\n\n He had signed that paper years ago, too excited about the fancy house to even read the fine print carefully.\n\n\n\n \u201cYou! You tricked me! This isn\u2019t over. I\u2019ll get my lawyers\u2014\u201d\n\n\n\n Before he could finish, I heard my mom\u2019s voice, clear and sharp through the phone. \u201cMichael, you better get your feet off that coffee table! And stop hogging the remote!\u201d\n\n\n\n There was a rustling noise, as if Mike had turned away from the phone to mutter something. \u201cBarbara, this is my house\u2014\u201d\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, hush,\u201d Mom cut him off, her voice louder now. \u201cIt\u2019s my house too. And another thing, these snacks are awful. Do you even know how to grocery shop? I\u2019m not surviving on frozen dinners!\u201d\n\n\n\n I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud. Mike mumbled something, still barely holding back his frustration, but before he could say anything else, Mom\u2019s voice cut through again.\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd turn down that ridiculous TV! You think I want to listen to that nonsense all day? If you\u2019re going to watch those silly car shows, at least turn the volume down!\u201d\n\n\n\n There was a loud crash, followed by more grumbling, and then the phone call abruptly ended. I leaned back, taking a deep breath and smiling as I sat at the table.\n\n\n\n Freedom never felt so sweet.\n\n\n\n This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.\n\n\n\n The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided \u201cas is,\u201d and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After enduring years of a marriage where Mike was fixated on wealth and material possessions, Nicole shocks everyone by willingly handing over everything in their […]\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6194"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6194"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6195,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6194\/revisions\/6195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runeecho.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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