Dirk shot to his feet, furious.

He jabbed a finger in my face and let loose.

"Pull that money out right now!"

"You barely finished middle school. You can't even handle normal investing, and you think you can play the futures market?"

Humiliation surged up in me like nothing I'd ever felt.

His whole family had spent years using my education and my background to grind me down, gaslighting me into hating myself for half a lifetime.

But I obediently took out my phone and called the futures firm.

The only thing that came back over the speaker was the manager's apology.

"Ms. Pruitt, it's seven in the evening. We've already closed for the day."

"First thing tomorrow morning, I'll handle it for you."

I pretended to agree, reluctant.

Inside I was laughing coldly.

I'd deliberately dragged my feet until after the firm closed, precisely so they couldn't stop me on the spot.

Carrie let out a cold snort.

"Useless thing. Once you pull that money out tomorrow, you hand it straight to Dirk to manage!"

I smiled coldly to myself.

Tomorrow that money wouldn't be coming out at all.

Early the next morning, Dirk's shriek made everyone jump.

"It's over. The strait opened last night."

"Oil crashed thirty percent!"

My face went blank with shock.

"What? How could this happen?"

Jesse and Carrie crowded in at once, cursing me, while Anita stood off to the side sighing about how I never listened.

I was shaking all over, and in a panic I grabbed for my phone.

"I'll pull the futures out right now. I'm out, I quit!"

But Anita's face darkened.

She reached out and stopped me.

"Ms. Pruitt, you can't pull out now."

"If you pull out now, you don't get your principal back, and you'll still owe the futures firm eight hundred million."

"Add the two hundred million from your loan, and you've got one billion in debt total!"

"One billion!"

Carrie doubled over with a strangled sound, eyes rolling back white.

She slid limply to the floor.

Jesse went ashen, both legs shaking like a sieve.

Dirk couldn't keep up the act any longer. He grabbed Anita's arm.

"Anita, what do we do now?"

"That's one billion in marital debt. I am not carrying that much!"

I laughed coldly on the inside.

So the mask was off already?

Something vicious flashed through Anita's eyes.

"There's only one way. You two divorce, and let Faith Pruitt carry all the debt alone."

Dirk's eyes lit up in an instant.

He traded a quick glance with Anita.

Jesse and Carrie chimed in one after another.

"Right, divorce her, fast."

"We can't let this useless thing drag us down!"

My heart went cold to the core.

When I had money, it was family this and family that, every other word.

The second I took on debt, they wanted me kicked out.

I let my face fill with reluctance.

I even squeezed out a few tears.

"I won't divorce you."

"Dirk, I love you. I never want to be apart from you as long as I live."

"Besides, you're my husband. You'll face the hard times with me, won't you."

The disgust in his eyes was practically spilling over.

Even so, Dirk kept his patience and coaxed me gently.

"Faith, we still have two kids. When the creditors come knocking, they'll be terrified."

"You don't want that to hit them, do you."

I lowered my head and thought for a long while.

Finally I gave in, reluctant.

But inside, fury blazed up in me.

My kids, my ass.

Last life, after I was beaten to death, those two kids turned right around and called Anita mom, calling me a useless piece of trash.

That was when I finally learned that both of those kids were Dirk and Anita's bastards.

As for the two children I actually gave birth to, Dirk and Anita killed them right after they were born.

Once the divorce papers were signed, Dirk grabbed hold of me, his eyes shifting.

"Faith, there isn't a cent left in this house now."

"To leave something behind for the kids, I've lined up a few underground fights for you in Thailand. Finish them and you walk away with thirty million."

I couldn't hold back a cold laugh.

Three million was nothing.

In my last life, I only found out after I died: Dirk had taken out a massive insurance policy on me.

The moment I died in that ring, he'd collect a hundred and thirty million.

I nodded, playing the part of a woman who'd given up.

"Fine. Once we've filed the divorce, I'll go."

Something smug flickered through Dirk's eyes.

Then he made up an excuse about creditors coming around to cause trouble, and coaxed me out of the house.

I didn't care in the slightest. I turned and went straight to Rowena.

Rowena had known since dawn that oil had crashed, and she was pacing in circles, frantic.

Me, I calmly pulled up the surveillance feed from the house.

All those years I spent boxing away from home, I'd worried about safety, so I'd installed cameras with no blind spots.

I never imagined they'd come in this handy.

On the feed, the second I walked out the door, Dirk and Anita were all over each other, mouths locked.

A dull ache pressed at my chest.

When he was with me, Dirk always claimed he was cold by nature, that he could barely manage once every six months, that even holding hands was more than he wanted.

Now look at him. Burning up.

When they finally came up for air, Dirk cursed, furious.

"That bastard Faith. Racked up a billion in debt without a word to anyone."

"Good thing you found a way to get her to divorce me willingly, or she'd have dragged me down with her."

Anita leaned back into his arms, pleased with herself.

"Don't be angry, baby. Once the divorce is final, Faith goes to Thailand, fights in that ring, and dies on the mat."

"Then we collect a hundred and thirty million!"

"I'll throw some of it into a few investments, and we're set for life."

Dirk kissed her hard.

"You're something else, you know that?"

"A whole lot better than Faith, that useless idiot who's only good for throwing punches."

Holding the file Rowena had dug up on Anita, I nearly laughed out loud.

Dirk. I couldn't wait to see your face when you found out who Anita really was.

The month passed quickly.

Early that morning, Dirk and I arrived at the county records office.

He put on a show of being torn up about it.

"Faith, I don't want to let you go either, but I have to think about the children."

A whole month of watching him and Anita carry on had been more than enough.

I nearly threw up on the spot.

I couldn't be bothered to act along.

"Enough. Let's just get this filed."

Dirk hadn't expected that from me.

He froze for a beat.

Then, not quite trusting it, he pressed.

"So you're still going to Thailand to fight?"

"Yes. Definitely."

I brushed it off, though inside I was churning with impatience.

War had broken out overnight, and by this morning oil prices had shot up.

If we didn't get the papers filed fast, the moment they caught on, they'd never let Dirk go through with the divorce.

Lucky for me, his whole family had gotten dead drunk the night before, celebrating that they'd finally be rid of me today.

I was the one who couldn't wait, who drove over to pick Dirk up. The rest of them still hadn't come to.

I hauled Dirk into the office and shoved the divorce agreement across the counter before he could think twice.

The clerk gave us a glance, picked up the seal, and moved to stamp the papers.

Dirk's phone went off like the world was ending.

The second he answered, Anita's panicked shriek came through.

"Dirk, don't do it, don't divorce her! Oil jumped thirty percent this morning!"

Dirk's face changed in an instant.

He lunged at the clerk, screaming.

"Stop! Don't stamp it!"

I pressed forward too, my throat so tight I could barely get the words out.

"Stamp it, now. Don't listen to him!"

The clerk's brow knotted at the two of us shouting.

His hand stalled, and he looked up, out of patience.

Then he picked up the certificate and tossed it at us.

Dirk and I both scrambled to see the spot where the seal went.