\nThe more I thought about what I\u2019d just done the more it built up until I was cackling in the elevator like a lunatic.\n
My ex-husband ended up with our house, car, and all the money after the divorce \u2013 I couldn\u2019t help but laugh because that was my plan all along…\n
After a bitter marriage marked by Mike\u2019s obsession with material wealth, Nicole shockingly agrees to give him everything in their divorce. But as Mike revels in his \u201cvictory,\u201d Nicole\u2019s laughter reveals a secret plan in motion. What Mike doesn\u2019t know is that she\u2019s about to make her final move.\n
I stepped out of the lawyer\u2019s office with a blank expression, my shoulders slumped, looking every bit the defeated ex-wife. The rain was coming down hard, and the gray sky matched my mood \u2014 or at least the mood I wanted people to think I was in.\n
Inside, I was buzzing. My hands clenched the cold steel of the door handle as I headed toward the elevator. No one was around. Good.\n
The elevator door closed behind me with a soft ding, and as soon as I was alone, I let out a little giggle. It wasn\u2019t something I planned; it bubbled up from deep inside like champagne finally uncorked.\n
\nThe more I thought about what I\u2019d just done the more it built up until I was cackling in the elevator like a lunatic.\n
If anyone saw me right then, they\u2019d think I had finally snapped, gone over the edge from all the stress, but oh no, this was just the beginning. Everything was falling perfectly into place.\n
The house, the car, the savings \u2014 Mike could have them all. It was exactly what I wanted. He thought he\u2019d won, and that was the best part. He didn\u2019t have a clue what was coming.\n
The elevator stopped with a jolt, and I pulled myself together. I glanced at my reflection in the elevator\u2019s mirrored wall: messy hair, tired eyes, and a faint smile still lingering on my lips. I didn\u2019t even care. This was going to be fun.\n
A few weeks earlier\u2026\n
Mike and I hadn\u2019t been happy for years, but it wasn\u2019t just the regular kind of falling out of love. Mike was obsessed with his image. He was all about the flashy cars, having the biggest house on the block, and wearing only designer clothes.\n
All of it was a performance, and I had played my part for too long. The cracks had started to show, and when the arguments became more frequent, I knew it wasn\u2019t long before the inevitable happened.\n
The thing is, I wasn\u2019t scared of the divorce. I knew Mike, and I knew exactly how this would play out.\n
He didn\u2019t care about saving the marriage. No, what he wanted was to win \u2014 win the house, win the money, win the divorce.\n
All I wanted was to be free of this pretentious lifestyle. But that didn\u2019t mean I was going to let him screw me over, either. So, I\u2019d let Mike have what he wanted, but with a catch as sharp as a fishhook.\n
It happened on a Tuesday. Mike came home late, again. I was in the kitchen, pretending to scroll through my phone, not bothering to look up when he stormed in.\n
\u201cWe need to talk.\u201d\n
I sighed, barely masking the boredom in my voice. \u201cWhat now?\u201d\n
He slammed his keys on the counter, and I could practically feel the frustration radiating off him. He always got like this when things didn\u2019t go his way at work, and of course, I was the easiest target.\n
\u201cI\u2019m done,\u201d he said, his voice low and tight. \u201cI want a divorce.\u201d\n
I blinked up at him. Finally. I nodded slowly, like it was sinking in, but really, I had been prepared for this moment for weeks.\n
\u201cOkay,\u201d I said simply.\n
He frowned, clearly taken aback. \u201cThat\u2019s it? No fight? No begging?\u201d\n
I shrugged. \u201cWhat\u2019s the point?\u201d\n
For a second, he looked confused, like I had taken the wind out of his sails. He was expecting resistance, expecting me to plead with him to stay.\n
But I just needed to give him enough rope to hang himself with.\n
The divorce negotiations were as awful as I expected. We sat across from each other in a sterile conference room, lawyers flanking us, as Mike outlined every little thing he wanted. The house, the car, the savings; it was like he was reading off a grocery list.\n
And the entire time, he had this smug little grin on his face, like he thought I\u2019d break down and cry at any moment.\n
\u201cFine,\u201d I said, barely listening. \u201cYou can have it all.\u201d\n
My lawyer shot me a look, one that clearly said, \u201cAre you sure?\u201d But I just nodded.\n
Mike blinked. \u201cWait, what?\u201d\n
\u201cI said, you can have it. I don\u2019t want any of it, except for my personal possessions.\u201d\n
He looked stunned. \u201cYou\u2026 you don\u2019t want the house? Or the money?\u201d\n
\u201cNope,\u201d I said, leaning back in my chair. \u201cIt\u2019s all yours.\u201d\n
His shock quickly morphed into glee. \u201cGreat. Then take this afternoon to pack up your belongings. 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
\u201cNo problem,\u201d I replied.\n
He sat up straighter, his chest puffing out like he\u2019d just won the lottery. And I let him think it.\n
And that brings me back to that moment when I stepped into the elevator in the lawyer\u2019s office building, and couldn\u2019t contain my laughter anymore.\n
As I stepped out of the elevator, I pulled out my phone. My fingers hovered over the screen for a second before I typed out 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
I hit send and smiled. Time for the real fun to begin.\n
Packing up the house was easier than I thought it would be. I didn\u2019t want much, just a few personal things, mostly items that held memories that weren\u2019t tainted by Mike. The house was too big for just the two of us anyway, and it always felt more like his house than mine.\n
I was taping up the last box when I picked up the phone to make the call. My mom, Barbara, answered on the second ring.\n
\u201cHey,\u201d I said, keeping my voice light. \u201cIt\u2019s time.\u201d\n
There was a pause, and then Mom\u2019s familiar, no-nonsense tone came through. \u201cFinally. I\u2019ve been waiting for this moment.\u201d\n
Mom couldn\u2019t stand Mike. She saw right through his flashy facade the day I introduced them. But the best part? She had helped us buy this house. She was the reason Mike thought he had scored such a great deal on it, and now she was going to be the reason he lost it.\n
I hung up, feeling a strange sense of relief as I looked around. I was done pretending.\n
The next morning, I was making breakfast in my new little apartment when my phone rang. I smirked as Mike\u2019s name flashed across the screen.\n
\u201cHello?\u201d I answered sweetly.\n
\u201cYou set me up!\u201d Mike\u2019s voice was furious, practically frothing at the mouth.\n
I put the phone on speaker, grabbing a piece of toast as I leaned against the counter. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, what are you talking about?\u201d\n
\u201cYour mother!\u201d he spat. \u201cShe\u2019s\u2026 she\u2019s in my house! She\u2019s taken over everything!\u201d\n
\u201cOh, right,\u201d I said, biting into my toast. \u201cRemember that 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?\u201d\n
There was a long pause, and I could practically hear the gears turning in his brain. I could imagine the look on his face, realization dawning.\n
He had signed that paper years ago, too blinded by the allure of a fancy house to even think twice about the fine print.\n
\u201cYou! You cheated me! This isn\u2019t over. I\u2019m getting my lawyers\u2014\u201d\n
Before he could finish, I heard Mom\u2019s voice in the background, sharp and cutting through the phone. \u201cMichael, you better get your feet off that coffee table! And stop hogging the remote!\u201d\n
There was a muffled sound as if Mike had turned away from the phone, trying to whisper. \u201cBarbara, this is my house\u2014\u201d\n
\u201cOh, hush,\u201d Mom interrupted, louder now. \u201cIt\u2019s my house just as much as yours. And another thing, what\u2019s with all these cheap snacks? Do you know how to grocery shop? I\u2019m not living off frozen dinners!\u201d\n
I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. Mike mumbled something incoherent, his frustration barely contained, but before he could get another word in, I heard her again.\n
\u201cAnd turn down that TV! You think I want to listen to that nonsense all day? If you\u2019re going to watch those ridiculous car shows, at least mute it!\u201d\n
There was a loud crash, followed by some more muttering, and then the phone clicked off abruptly. I took a deep breath, smiling as I sat down at the table.\n
Freedom never tasted so sweet.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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