I woke up in the middle of the night and reached for Marvin's phone again.
I opened the bank card he'd been using to save money. Scrolling through the transaction history, the truth stared back at me: every single deposit on this card was mine.
Four years, and Marvin hadn't saved a single cent.
The $98,000 that had been transferred out was all my money.
In other words, the bride price he'd paid was mine.
Then what about the house?
Where had the down payment gone?
In the pitch-dark room, the glow of the screen tore my heart open inch by inch.
I opened every card linked to his accounts and went through the statements one by one. There wasn't a single large transfer related to a home purchase. But Marvin had gone back to his hometown at the end of the year and signed the contract. We'd picked the house together, negotiated the signing date ourselves. The only reason I hadn't been there was because I'd been sick that day. Marvin had even sent me photos from the signing and a copy of the contract.
There on the phone was his chat with me from that day.
My entire body went rigid. I couldn't move.
The naked truth crushed the air from my lungs.
For four years, I'd been the only one saving money. And every dollar I'd saved had become another woman's bride price.
I sat by the window and called the real estate agent who'd handled the house.
"Oh, oh yeah, I remember you!"
"Your husband never came back to sign, though. He said he'd found another place he liked better."
"That unit ended up going to someone else. A young woman."
The agent was still as friendly as ever, a hint of regret in her voice.
"It really was a great deal. I heard she bought it as a wedding home too."
"The guy only put the girl's name on the deed. Can you imagine? Lucky girl."
"No worries, though. Next time something good comes up, I'll let you know."
I took a deep breath and mustered the courage to ask.
"Could you tell me who the girl was? I love that unit so much, I'd be willing to pay above market to buy it back."
The agent paused.
"Pay above market? That doesn't seem worth it..."
"It's fine. Money isn't an issue."
The agent said she'd ask around. Before long, someone sent me a friend request.
I opened the contact card and saw the number. A number I recognized.
It was the same one Marvin used to order delivery and send gifts.
You want to buy my place?
The message came almost immediately.
Yes, I really love that unit. The apartment number is actually my boyfriend's birthday.
Would you be willing to sell? I can pay extra.
She sent a smiley face.
How much extra are we talking? I bought it as a wedding home too, so I'd have to check with my boyfriend.
I tapped at the screen. A wedding home too? What a coincidence. The agent mentioned the deed is only in your name?
Your boyfriend must really love you.
Yeah, he's really good to me.
We've been together two years. We're getting engaged on the third of next month.
I stared at the messages popping up on the screen, then turned to look at Marvin, fast asleep in bed, snoring softly.
We'd been together eight years. Never married.
They'd been together two years. Already getting engaged.
In the darkness of the room, I typed out a reply with trembling hands.
Congratulations.
What's your name? I'll save your contact.
The reply came quickly. Lucy Dickerson.
I stood by the window until morning. I never slept.
I kept turning it over in my head. Marvin was with me every day. How had he managed to carry on a whole relationship with another woman?
The next morning, I acted like nothing had happened and saw Marvin off at the door.
Over the next few days, I used my time at work to send every piece of evidence to Nathan.
I studied the home purchase contract carefully. It was signed on December 5th.
The $98,000 bride price had been transferred on November 15th.
Which meant the money used to buy that house was very likely mine.
Marvin had used me to fund his entire marriage to another woman without spending a single cent of his own.
A few days later, Lucy finally got back to me.
My boyfriend doesn't want to sell. Sorry about that.
No surprise there.
They were about to get engaged, after all. Marvin wouldn't tolerate any variables at this stage.
The days slipped by quickly, and soon it was the third of the following month.
The day before, Marvin called me.
"Rosie, my mom fell in the field. I need to head back to Ridgemont."
"I'll be back in a few days."
He sounded frantic. His acting was flawless.
"Okay."
What he didn't know was that I was on the same express train to Ridgemont.
I wanted to see for myself the "wife" my $98,000 had paid for.
