“Listen here! Im loaded now, and its time we got a divorce,” the husband sneered, completely oblivious to the storm he was about to unleash. “Youve got no idea how much your dull, average life grates on me now,” James spat, his eyes flashing with contempt. “I dont need some boring little housewifeI deserve better!”
“Do you honestly think money changes who you are?” Emily shot back, her voice trembling as she fought back tears.
The warm glow of the evening sun lit up the kitchen where Emily was making dinner. The rich smell of beef stew and freshly baked bread filled the air.
James barged in, waving an envelope like hed just won the lottery. “Em! Em! Youll never believe it!” he shouted, still in his shoes. “Ive got an inheritance letter from some long-lost relative! Im rich!”
Emily turned, drying her hands on her apron. “Thats brilliant, Jimmy,” she said carefully. “But who exactly is this relative? Weve never heard of them”
“Who cares!” James laughed, grabbing her face and planting a kiss on her cheek. “We can finally have everything weve ever wanted!”
Emily raised an eyebrow, but before she could speak, James was off, rambling about fancy cars and luxury holidays like hed already won the lottery.
But by the next morning, after a night spent dreaming of wealth, James had completely transformed. He looked at Emily like she was beneath him, barking orders and acting like hed single-handedly conquered the world.
“You know, Em,” he said over breakfast, barely glancing up from his toast, “now that Im rolling in it, we should probably rethink this marriage.”
Emily froze, staring at him in disbelief. “What are you talking about?”
“Come on, you must see it,” he said, stuffing the last bite in his mouth. “Im on another level now. And you well, youre just ordinary.”
Emily was stunned. She rushed to meet her best mates, Sophie and Lily, at their local cafe to spill the madness.
“Girls, you wont believe this,” she blurted the second they sat down. “James got some inheritance and now thinks Im not good enough for him!”
Sophie scoffed. “Seriously? Who even is this mystery relative?”
Lily leaned in, frowning. “What are you going to do?”
Emily sighed. “I dont know. Hes turned into such a such a prat!”
Sophie shook her head. “Em, maybe hes just lost the plot for a minute? This isnt like him.”
Lilys frown deepened, her mind racing.
That evening, Emily went home to find James sprawled on the sofa, flipping through luxury car magazines. A knot of dread settled in her stomach, but the thought of her mates kept her going.
Days passed, and James got worse. He hadnt even seen a penny yet, but he strutted around like he owned the place, treating Emily like hired help.
“Em, wheres my suit?” he bellowed one morning. “Ive got a big meeting today!”
Emily quietly hung it on the door.
“James, can we talk?” she asked softly.
“Not now,” he dismissed her. “I havent got time for nonsense.”
Her eyes welled up. The man she loved had turned into a stranger. She needed her girls again.
That night, over coffees by the window, Emily poured her heart out. “I cant take it anymore,” she whispered. “He treats me like dirt, says he needs better people around him.”
Sophie rolled her eyes. “What a wanker! Em, you need to put him in his placehe hasnt even got the money yet!”
Lily squeezed her hand. “Weve got your back. This isnt the end.”
But James only got worse, accusing Emily of being a gold-digger.
“Em, now that Im rich, I see right through you,” he sneered one night. “Youre just waiting to cash in.”
Emilys heart shattered. “After all these years, you think that?”
“Always playing the saint,” he scoffed. “But now I know the truth.”
She couldnt take it anymore.
The next day, Sophie and Lily dropped the bombshell.
“Em we need to tell you something,” Sophie started, exchanging a look with Lily.
Lily took a breath. “We set this up. The inheritance letter was fake. We wanted to see how hed react if he thought he was rich.”
Emily stared, numb. “You what?”
Sophie winced. “We saw how he treated you. We had to know if money would change him. And well, it did.”
Emilys world spun. Anger, hurt, reliefit all crashed over her. “How could you do this?”
Lily gripped her hand. “We had to show you who he really is.”
That night, Emily confronted James.
“I know the letter was fake,” she said coldly.
James went pale. “Youre joking.”
“No. And now Ive seen the real you. You dont deserve me.”
He exploded, hurling insults, but Emily stood firm.
“Pack your things,” she said. “Get out.”
The door slammed behind him. Emily collapsed onto the sofa, drained but free.
Sophie and Lily arrived minutes later.
“Em, were so sorry,” Lily murmured, hugging her.
Emily wiped her tears. “Its done. Hes gone.”
Then Sophie dropped the real shocker.
“Em theres more. A lawyer from Geneva called me weeks ago. Hes been trying to reach you. Theres a real inheritancea proper one.”
Emilys jaw dropped. “What?”
Lily nodded. “We tested James first because we needed to protect you. We couldnt let him hurt you if you suddenly came into money.”
Emily called the lawyer, her hands shaking.
When she hung up, she was grinning. “Its real. Im actually rich.”
Sophie whooped. “Youre free and loaded!”
Lily raised a glass of bubbly. “To a fresh start!”
Emily clinked her glass, laughing through tears. “To my brilliant, sneaky, wonderful friends.”
And as they toasted, Emily knewwhatever came next, shed face it with her girls by her side.
