My Wife Scrimped Six Years; I Spent 180K on Ex's Bags

1: 1

My wife, Katherine Henson, came home from the hospital.

She walked in right as I was throwing a birthday party for my ex-girlfriend, Tabitha Pruitt.

Katherine had always been careful with money, the kind who couldn't stand to see me waste a single cent.

But now the trash can was heaped with expensive food.

Even the fondant cake, the one that cost a few hundred, had a single bite taken out of it before it got tossed.

She stood rigid, frozen in disbelief.

It wasn't that I didn't notice the shock in her eyes.

I just didn't care.

I opened the gift box and handed Tabitha the three Chanel bags, each worth over a hundred thousand.

"I promised I'd get you a birthday present."

"Does this show you how much I mean it?"

Tabitha kissed me happily on the cheek. "I knew you were the best. Best ex-boyfriend in history!"

Behind me, Katherine's voice came out shaking.

"I asked you for five thousand for medical bills, and you dodged and stalled."

"But a hundred-and-eighty-thousand-dollar bag, you just buy it. Is that it?"

"Yes."

I looked at her coldly.

"It's my money. I'll spend it however I want."

Katherine stared at me for a long time, her eyes red, then tilted her head back toward the ceiling and laughed.

"Fine."

Beside me, Tabitha gave my arm a little shake.

"Asher Sanchez, aren't you afraid your wife will actually divorce you?"

I gave a cold laugh.

"I'd sooner believe aliens are invading Earth tomorrow than believe she'd ever divorce me."

1

Katherine had been with me since she was eighteen.

Eight full years.

There had never been another man in her life.

So I'd never once worried she might think about leaving.

No matter how bad the fight got.

The worst she'd do was cry under the covers all night.

The next day she'd still hand me an out, and everything would go back to normal.

So when she heard me say that.

Katherine's whole body went stiff.

She was quiet for a long time before she turned back to me, eyes rimmed red.

"So that's the reason you never once celebrated my birthday in eight years?"

"Eight years, and you got used to me scrimping and saving."

"Never once got me an anniversary gift."

"Never even bought a cake."

"But an eighteen-thousand-dollar Chanel bag for Tabitha, and you don't even blink. Is that it?"

"That's right."

I lifted my head without a trace of guilt.

"You're used to scrimping and saving. That's the kind of life you were born to live."

"Tabitha's the spoiled little princess of her family. She's not like you."

"A few hundred, a few thousand, that kind of gift is beneath her."

"Of course I have to get her a Chanel bag worth over a hundred thousand."

I said all of it without a shred of concern.

I could clearly see Katherine fighting to hold back the trembling in her body.

But so what?

Even if she got furious, all she'd do was run to the room, pull the covers over her head, and cry it out.

Once she'd cried herself empty and gotten it out of her system.

The next day, eyes still swollen, she'd tie on her apron and go make breakfast in the kitchen.

I knew it all too well.

I was even a little sick of it.

Nothing like Tabitha, my ex, who I still couldn't get out of my head after all these years apart.

She had a pull that drew men in, that could even make a man lose his head.

Katherine didn't have any of that.

So I was glad to spend money on her, to buy her a smile.

"Here's the bank card back."

Not long after.

Katherine pushed the door open and came back out, lips pressed tight.

"There's no money on this card."

I was slicing the cake, and didn't look up.

"I know."

Katherine clearly froze, then bit down hard on her lip.

"You know my parents are in the hospital and need money."

"I called you twelve times before I finally got this card out of you."

"And you handed me an empty one."

"I thought you'd made a mistake in the rush. That it wasn't on purpose."

"I didn't think you did it deliberately."

I glanced up at her.

"What else? Did you really think I'd give you money to spend?"

"It's your parents who couldn't stop stuffing themselves."

"Used to being poor out in the country, so they come here and eat and drink like there's no tomorrow, and land themselves in the hospital."

"And now I'm supposed to cover the medical bills too?"