The Husband Who Lives off His Wife

Chapter 1

I got back from that soul-crushing business trip, and guess who hits me up first? Not my freakin’ husband. It’s Ashley, this total witch from high school I haven’t seen in forever.

“Brooke, Ashley’s kid is having a big one-year bash tomorrow, everyone’s going, and she specifically asked for you! Major honor, don’t flake!”

I was floored. Ashley, the queen bee who made my life hell back then, is now a freakin’ mom?

“Sorry, just got back from overseas, got contracts to finalize, can’t make it.”

The second I hit ‘send,’ I’m dumped into this random group chat. Never even knew there was a class chat.

“Well, look who it is, the big shot back from Europe!”

I figured, what the hell, might as well play along. “Hey guys. We’re all old classmates, forget the title.”

That unleashed a wave of mocking.

“Oh, listen to her! Thinks she’s hot stuff. A few years, and suddenly she thinks she is better than us?”

“Yeah, what’s she even bragging about? If you were such a big deal, where were you at every other reunion?”

“We all know each other too well. No need to play pretend. If you were married, you could bring your husband to show off. I doubt he has a real job. He probably is a real loser. Can’t even afford to eat at a real restaurant, hahaha.”

“Heads-up: everyone at the party gets some kind of scholarship for their kids or something, you know, the ‘gift bag.’ Ashley’s husband is seriously loaded. The scholarship would be to die for.”

I frowned. These people were starting to get on my nerves.

“I’m good. I’m not gonna bother with any of it.”

Ashley chimes in, dripping sarcasm. “Relax. It’s not like I’m gonna laugh. We’re all ‘sisters’ here. I wouldn’t mock you.”

“Also, the only reason you don’t want to come is because you have no husband to show off. He’s probably a 300 pound slob haha. Not like my man.”

She throws a pic in the chat, and my jaw drops.

That’s my freakin’ husband, Jake!

I look at the address of the party – it’s our house!

1

Before I can even process, Jake texts me.

“Honey, gotta go to Ashley’s kid’s party tomorrow. Wish we had a kid! Then you and the little one could come too! I miss you like crazy, baby!”

I stared at the screen, feeling like I’d been hit by a truck.

No freaking way. I decide to bite the bullet and ask.

“Which friend?”

“You don’t know her. I’ll introduce you guys.”

I’d been overseas for a year, setting up our overseas operations.

Jake and I had been married five years, but we were still all over each other.

Especially since I left, we video-chatted every single day.

I had booked a flight home early, wanting to surprise him at our place downtown.

Instead, he decided to give me a surprise of my own.

I was about to blow up his phone when I heard a commotion outside.

I walked out of the bedroom and stood on the third floor, staring down.

The normally minimalist lobby was now decked out with balloons and streamers, and smack in the middle was a huge picture.

Jake, Ashley, and their kid. The happy family.

Ashley was rocking a low-key beige dress, hair pinned up, looking all soccer mom.

She was beaming, greeting everyone at the front door.

I saw some familiar faces.

“Ashley is a real queen bee. Her man is hot, like a Korean pop star, and look at this party!”

“Seriously! Her husband’s dad practically owns this whole town. Without Ashley, my kid would never get into that fancy private school!”

“Tell me about it! Look at this house! Prime location, totally decked out! If it weren’t for Ashley, we’d never see anything like it. And he chased her! She’s seriously got game!”

I saw Mrs. Davis, my old principal. She used to hate Ashley because she caught Ashley dating. Now, she was bent over backwards, totally sucking up.

“Ashley, I might have been hard on you back then, but I knew you were going places! I wouldn’t care for just anyone, you know!”

“And now look at you. I’m so proud. I have a niece who’s about to start school…”

Mrs. Davis shoved an envelope in Ashley’s hands, and Ashley took it.

Head held high, she acted like she was doing them a favor.

“No need, no need.”

She was full of it.

Jake had sunk all our money into stocks and funds, losing millions.

Then, he started gambling! I quickly found something for him to do, so I gave him some local real estate projects to manage. I didn’t want him to make money, I just wanted him to stay out of trouble.

Jake loved to be the star of the show, and I was always there to pick up the pieces, to protect his reputation.

And now Ashley gets all the credit?

Someone cleared their throat, and the focus went to me. Everyone was sneering.

Ashley’s old sidekick jumped out, pointing and laughing. “Brooke, you think wearing a bathrobe makes us think you live here?”

“You were bragging about how rich you are in the chat! As soon as you found out Ashley was having the party here, you rented it? I bet you didn’t do that when Ashley forced you to drink out of the toilet.”

“Yeah, you were a total cheapskate back in high school. Now, you’re just trying to fit in? I bet your husband will beat you when you get home for this stunt!”

“What, you think because you got a nice bathrobe, this is suddenly your house? Why not just say Ashley’s hot husband is yours, and that multi-million dollar estate is yours too?”

“Is she crazy? How could anyone do something like this? I bet she’s jealous of Ashley, and angry that she’s a loser.”

“You were all high and mighty in the group chat about not caring about the house, and now you are here. Can you stop pretending? You can’t even afford this house!”

I stated the facts, calmly.

“What if I actually do live here?”

A chorus of laughter erupted. Ashley’s face twisted with rage.

“You really wanna go there!”

“I caught you! You two-faced homewrecker. What are you even doing here?”

“Take that robe off. Jake bought it for me!”

“I guess high school didn’t teach you anything! A homewrecker is pretending to be someone in my husband’s house!”

Everyone was shocked.

“Wait, they rented this place? This is her husband’s house?!”

“The bathrobe is hers too? I knew it looked expensive! I bet it’s a limited edition!”

Ashley pulled out Jake’s deed.

Everyone was shocked.

“Who would have known that she would land a man this rich!”

“How low are the standards for a sugar baby these days?”

Ashley smirked.

“No wonder you never went to the reunions. You’re too ashamed.”

Everyone looked at me with disgust.

“Stealing someone’s bathrobe? She needs to be burned.”

“She must be different, because she’s prettier. She probably had plastic surgery.”

“Brooke, how does it feel to be a sugar baby? You’re not even that cute. It must feel so good to finally be someone.”

“I’m disgusted that I went to school with a lowlife.”

“A cheater is coming to the man’s house. How shameless!”

Mrs. Davis shook her head at me.

“Brooke, I helped you in school, and this is how you thank me?”

“You better not say we know each other! I’m too old for this.”

The noise got louder, and people from the neighborhood started showing up. They were all talking trash. Ashley even grabbed a rock from someone’s hand and threw it at my face! It cut me below the eye.

I laughed, and walked down the stairs.

“You guys have no idea what’s going on! I’m gonna call the police.”

Ashley sneered. “On what? You’re hurting my feelings, boo hoo.”

“You are breaking up our family. You deserve to be beaten.”

She pulled me by the collar. She ripped my robe to my stomach.

I covered myself, but she ripped my hands away.

“There you go. What’s a homewrecker gotta hide? I’d die for you, and everyone would clap.”

Like in high school, she had her friends hold me down. She wanted me to kneel.

People were staring at my chest.

Ashley got some spray paint, and started drawing on the walls.

“I bet you never live here now.”

She grabbed an axe and started smashing things.

Everyone was shocked. Then, they started to trash everything too.

“Since you claim this isn’t my husband’s house, I’m gonna destroy it!”

“Who breaks the most stuff gets the best gift.”

Things got out of hand. Everything was being destroyed.

Electrical appliances, marble countertops, custom furniture, and more.

The wall with graffiti was smashed. It revealed the concrete.

I warned them to stop. Ashley smirked.

“We’re insured. My husband can cover it. Don’t care if I burn it to the ground.”

People cheered.

“Ashley is a true woman.”

Mrs. Davis opened the door on the second floor.

Everyone looked at the door. They looked at Ashley.

I frowned. The third floor was important.

“Ashley, you know about antiques! You can’t just do whatever you want, or else you’ll go to prison!”

The antiques were priceless.

Ashley ignored me, and pushed a vase off a table.

“I’m well off, but I have never seen anything worth this much!”

“This stuff is good, but you’re just a dirty hooker. You don’t deserve it.”

She looked to her friends.

“You guys like the sound of money being smashed?”

“Let’s break it all!”

I struggled to stop the carnage.

“The house is in Jake’s name! Trash it all you want, but don’t touch the antiques!”

Ashley slapped me.

She kicked me.

“What is wrong with you?”

“You’re a homewrecker. This is my husband’s money, which makes it our money. I can take it back.”

“You’re ugly and stupid. He must be so hungry to eat whatever he wants.”

They started breaking the antiques. I screamed, but no one heard me.

I knew I couldn’t change the situation. I sent a message to the camera to record and report the crime.

The camera was destroyed.

“You are calling the police? On us?”

“Ashley can get us out! I want to see you try.”

Ashley looked pleased.

“Guess you need more evidence.”

She looked to the third floor.

I panicked. The third floor was very important.

“Don’t touch my antiques, and don’t go to the third floor. Please, you can’t do this.”

I swallowed my anger, and begged. Ashley laughed.

“Why are you begging now? Just keep acting like a boss!”

“Why didn’t you do that sooner? We could have skipped all the drama.”

She patted my face.

“The third floor is important? I’m not that unreasonable.

“I hate that robe…”

“If you take your clothes off, beg for forgiveness, and say you are a homewrecker, I’ll think about it. How’s that sound?”

I was shaking.

I thought about whether the police would come faster than they could destroy everything.

Mrs. Davis knew I was stalling. She told Ashley, who got even angrier.

“I’ll give you five seconds!

“Five…”

“Four…”

“Three…”

“You.”

I slowly took my clothes off.

Someone asked what was on the third floor that was so important, that I would give up my dignity.

I looked to the corner of the third floor. My mom’s shrine was there.

When I was little, there was a big flood. My mom gave me the last life preserver, and stayed behind.

I never found her body. All I could do was honor her.

I told Jake this when he asked me to sign the house over. That was my bottom line.

I was okay with Jake messing around, but not with my mom’s resting place.

I took everything off. Someone was touching me.

I bit into my lip, trying not to scream.

I bowed, and Ashley’s friend slammed my head to the ground.

“Boom.”

They stood in front of me and humped.

My head was bleeding.

“Satisfied?”

Ashley clapped, and I screamed.

They were destroying the third floor.

I was held down. I screamed.

“Stop it. Please!”

Ashley stood on me, stomping into my back.

I was on the ground, and could only watch them.

“I’ll make you pay for this!”

I bit myself.

“You bet?”

Ashley laughed and threw my mom’s shrine to the ground.

“What’s the big deal? It’s just junk.”

I cried out.

Ashley stomped on it, shoving the debris into my body.

She shoved it into my mouth until it was all gone.

She stomped on my face.

“In high school, I looked down on you. And now you’re a hooker. You’ll always be less than me.”

“You’ll always be junk. Don’t try to be someone in my life, or I’ll make you just like your mom.”

They hung me upside down.

I was completely naked. All I could feel were dirty stares. Mrs. Davis was drooling.

Ashley looked around and smiled.

“This is boring.”

Everyone looked at her.

She took my underwear and threw it to the crowd.

“Whoever gets it gets me…”

Everyone started to fight.

Ashley was having fun.

Someone ripped the underwear apart, and handed a part to everyone.

“I don’t want to be biased. Enjoy!”

They all groped me.

I screamed, but they didn’t stop.

People were screaming.

They were raping me.

Suddenly, everyone froze.

I could hear the sounds of people running outside.

People were coming.

Everyone froze.