The Debt You Owe Me

When Victoria's family lost everything, I lived in a cramped, windowless basement with her. I worked three jobs a day to help her rebuild her empire from the ground up. When she finally reached the pinnacle of success, she promised to give me a real home. Yet, in the third year of our marriage, I accidentally stumbled upon the property deed to our marital home. Under the owner's name, I saw the name of her first love. With red, tearful eyes, she explained, "This is what I owe him." I nodded slowly. I pulled out a photograph from our days in that suffocating basement, showing a tiny folding table completely buried under a mountain of debt collection notices, and pushed it across the table. "You paid off your debt to him with a house. So, how are you going to pay back what you owe me?" 1 I gently slid the property deed across the table toward Victoria. The words "Owner: Tristan" stung my eyes like shards of glass. Victoria's face instantly drained of color. She instinctively reached out to snatch the paper away, but her hand froze in midair. "Joey, please listen to me..." Her voice was hoarse, her eyes rapidly turning red. It was a look I knew all too well. Whenever she felt guilty about wronging me, she would put on this innocent, fragile expression. There was a time when that look would break my heart. "Alright. I am listening," I said, picking up my glass of warm water. My tone was unnervingly calm. She stared at me, a flicker of panic flashing through her eyes. My absolute composure seemed to terrify her. "Tristan... he hasn't been doing well." She struggled to get the words out. "Years ago, my parents violently opposed our relationship and forced us apart. It triggered severe depression for him. He had to drop out of college, and his entire life was nearly ruined." "So, this house is my way of compensating him. Joey, this is what I owe him." I nodded, signaling that I understood. "And what about what you owe me?" Victoria froze, looking at me as if I were speaking a foreign language. I didn't spare her another glance. I pulled out my phone and brought up a photo I had kept for years. It was taken in the cramped, hundred square foot basement in Brooklyn we used to rent. The image showed a battered folding table entirely buried under a mountain of final notice bills. In the corner of the frame, you could barely make out her slumped silhouette, radiating absolute despair. "You paid off your debt to him with a house. So, how are you going to pay back what you owe me?" She looked down at the screen, and her body jerked violently. The photo clearly dragged her back to the agonizing, suffocating memories of us struggling to survive together. To help her pay off the astronomical debts her family left behind, I quit my stable corporate job. I started working three different shifts. I did freelance design during the day, drove a ride share all night, and took on odd jobs every weekend. For three solid years, I never slept more than four hours a night. Once, I caught a severe fever. To save money on a doctor's visit, I wrapped myself in thick blankets and tried to sweat it out, nearly developing fatal pneumonia in the process. Victoria had held me and cried uncontrollably that night. She swore to the heavens that she would give me a real home and never let me suffer again. She kept her word. She rebuilt her empire and became a ruthless titan of the business world. She also gave me a home. A home with another man's name legally bound to it. "Joey." Victoria looked up, the guilt in her eyes practically overflowing. "I know you are the one I have wronged the most. But Tristan and I are completely over. You are the man I love, and you will be my only husband." "I will spend the rest of my life making this up to you. Please?" She reached out, her tone bordering on begging. "Tristan already lost me. He cannot lose everything else. Think of this house as a final period marking the end of our past." I smoothly dodged her hand. "Alright. I understand." Seeing that I wasn't screaming or throwing a tantrum, her posture visibly relaxed. She genuinely believed I had accepted her absurd justification. Meanwhile, beneath the table, I opened my messages and quietly texted my lawyer, instructing him to draft a divorce agreement immediately. 2 Victoria paused, hesitating before she spoke again. "Joey, can I discuss something with you?" "It's about Tristan. He got into a dispute with his landlord and was kicked out. He can't find a suitable place to live on such short notice." "Do you think... he could move into our house for a little while? Just as a temporary transition." A bitter laugh almost escaped my throat. Was she completely out of her mind? "Do you honestly think that is appropriate?" I asked coldly. "Why wouldn't it be?" A hint of impatience immediately crept into her voice. "Joey, when did you become so petty and calculating? I already told you, he is entirely in the past. My heart belongs only to you." "His mental state is incredibly fragile right now. He is completely alone. What is the harm in helping him out?" "You have my word. I will never betray you!" She sounded so incredibly righteous. But she had already betrayed me. The moment she decided to give our sanctuary to another man, the betrayal was absolute. "Victoria," I said slowly, pronouncing every syllable. "Do you see me as a puppet you can manipulate however you please?" "Do you think that just because I swallowed years of suffering for you, I deserve to be trampled on like this?" She fell silent. After a long pause, she rubbed her temples and let out an exhausted sigh. "Joey, stop overthinking everything. I am simply helping a friend. My decision is final. I am going to pick him up." Without another word, she grabbed her keys and walked out. Hearing the heavy thud of the front door closing, I closed my eyes, forcibly swallowing the acidic burn rising in my throat. Getting angry over worthless people was a waste of energy. Right then, my phone rang. It was Victoria's father, Richard. "Joey, my boy. Come back to the old estate for a family dinner tomorrow with Victoria." Richard had always treated me incredibly well. I couldn't bring myself to reject him. "Of course, Dad." After hanging up, I stared out the window at the darkening sky. My chest felt hollow and freezing. The next day, I drove back to the Kensington estate alone. When the Kensington family went bankrupt, this magnificent ancestral home had been mortgaged and auctioned off. Later, when Victoria climbed back to power, she desperately wanted to buy back the property that held all her childhood memories. But the new owner utterly refused to sell. It was me who visited the eccentric retired professor with gifts, week after week. I spent three entire months wearing him down until he finally nodded and agreed to sell it back to us at the original price. When Richard saw me walk in alone, his brow furrowed deeply. "Where is Victoria? Wrapped up in her nonsense again?" "An emergency board meeting came up. She will be here a bit later," I lied, covering for her out of habit. Richard patted my shoulder heavily and led me to the leather sofa. He let out a long sigh. "Joey, stop covering for her. I have heard all about what she has been doing lately." My heart skipped a beat. "Is she tangling herself up with that Tristan boy again?" Richard's gaze sharpened into daggers. "I warned her years ago. That man is rotten to the core. I told her to stay as far away from him as possible!" I lowered my head and said nothing. Richard rubbed my back, his voice thick with validation and profound regret. "You are a good kid, and you have been wronged. Rest assured, the Kensington family acknowledges you and only you as our son-in-law. If she dares to do anything to betray you, I will be the first one to make her pay!" A sliver of warmth entered my cold heart. I forced a smile. "I am fine, Dad." Just then, Victoria walked through the door. When she saw me, her face instantly darkened. She was clearly annoyed that I had arrived before her. "Dad, did you call Joey here just so he could complain to you?" Her very first words were dripping with hostility. Richard grabbed his porcelain teacup, looking entirely ready to smash it against the wall, but he held back. "You ungrateful brat, what kind of nonsense are you spouting? Do you really think Joey is that kind of person? If he had uttered a single bad word about you to me, I wouldn't have even let you through the front gates today!" "Then what is this?" Victoria snapped impatiently. "If he didn't run his mouth, how do you know about Tristan?" "Do I need him to tell me?" Richard sneered coldly. "You brought that man straight into headquarters and made him your personal assistant. You practically broadcasted your filthy little affair to the entire corporate board. Do you think I am blind?" A bitter smile crept onto my face. 3 Shortly after she left the house yesterday, she couldn't wait to bring Tristan back and move him into the guest room. Following that, she placed him directly in her company, keeping him glued to her side. Afterward, she had offered me a sickeningly fake explanation, claiming Tristan was new to the corporate world and would adapt faster if she personally guided him. Victoria's face shifted from pale to green. She took a deep breath, seemingly too exhausted to argue further, and bluntly announced her move. "Tristan is waiting outside. I told him to bring in an urgent document." Without giving us a chance to react, she turned around and opened the heavy oak doors. Tristan walked in timidly behind her. He wore a crisp white button down shirt, looking the picture of pure, helpless innocence. The moment he saw Richard, he reflexively shrank behind Victoria's back. Victoria instantly shifted into a defensive posture. "He is only here to drop off a file. Stop glaring at him like he is a criminal on trial. You are terrifying him." I looked at Victoria as if she were a complete idiot. Tristan stood beside her, his voice trembling and soft like a frightened animal. "Victoria, this is a private family dinner. It is... inappropriate for me to be here. I should just leave." Yet, his feet remained firmly planted to the floor. He didn't take a single step backward. "You must be exhausted from delivering the files. Stay and eat before you go." Ignoring any protests, Victoria forcibly pushed him down into the empty chair right beside hers. That seat was originally meant for me. The atmosphere in the dining room plummeted below freezing. Richard stared coldly at Tristan's pathetic theatrical act, a mocking sneer curving his lips. "Mr. Tristan, we are both grown men. You can drop the victim act in my house." Richard slammed his chopsticks onto the table, showing zero mercy. "I can see right through your pathetic little calculations." Tristan's face turned deathly pale. Tears instantly welled up in his eyes. "Mr. Kensington, I... I have no idea what you are talking about." "No idea?" Richard chuckled darkly. "Years ago, when you and Victoria were dating in college, she brought you to this exact house for the first time. The second you walked through the doors, your eyes never stopped scanning the expensive decor." "When you heard the sheer scale of our corporate assets, the raw greed and scheming in your eyes were practically written across your forehead!" Tristan's entire body began to tremble, acting as if he were enduring unimaginable humiliation. Seeing this, Victoria slammed her hands onto the table and shot up from her chair. "Enough!" She glared viciously at her own father. "It has been years, and you are still exactly the same! You never cared about what was best for me. You just wanted absolute control over my life!" "When you violently forced us apart, you pushed Tristan into a deep depression! Do you feel even an ounce of guilt? Now that he finally has the strength to step back into the world, why do you have to stab him with such vicious, toxic words?" "Control you?" Richard was practically shaking with fury. "If I really wanted to control you, I would never have let Joey suffer alongside you in that basement when you went bankrupt! You ungrateful wretch, have you completely forgotten who dragged you out of hell?" "I haven't forgotten!" Victoria's eyes were bloodshot as she screamed back. "I will spend the rest of my life repaying Joey's kindness! But that does not conflict with me making amends to Tristan!" With that, she violently grabbed the trembling Tristan by the wrist and marched toward the door without looking back. "Where the hell are you going?" Richard roared behind her. "I am not staying in this toxic house another second!" She dragged Tristan away, fueled by blind rage. From beginning to end, she did not spare me a single glance. She didn't even consider taking me with her. "Joey, ignore her. Let her roll in the dirt!" Richard was panting heavily. He grabbed my hand. "Stay the night. Have a drink with your old man." I shook my head slowly and stood up. "Dad, I should go back." This was a war between Victoria and me. I could not let him completely sever ties with his own daughter because of me. Out in the driveway, Victoria's car was still parked. She was leaning against the driver's door, impatiently scrolling through her phone. Clearly, she was waiting for me. So, she finally remembered that she had left her husband inside. I slowly walked toward her. The glow of the streetlamps stretched my shadow out long across the pavement, making me look incredibly isolated and lonely. Hearing my footsteps, Victoria looked up. The impatience on her face only deepened. "What took you so long? Get in." She pulled open the door and slid into the driver's seat. I walked to the passenger side. Before my hand even touched the handle, a pained groan echoed from the back seat. 4 "Victoria... I feel so sick... I can't breathe..." Victoria's face instantly drained of color. She threw herself over the center console to check on him. "Tristan, what's wrong?" "I... I think... I am having an allergic reaction to peanuts..." Tristan's voice was broken and breathy, dripping with agonizing pain. Victoria's head snapped toward me, her eyes blazing with absolute condemnation. "Joey! You knew Tristan was deathly allergic to peanuts! Why didn't you warn the kitchen staff beforehand?" I stared at her, completely dumbfounded by her logic. When exactly was I ever informed of his allergies? And why on earth was it my responsibility to manage the dietary restrictions of a random interloper in my father-in-law's kitchen? Furthermore, all the dishes were already plated and served by the time we even arrived. "I had no idea he was allergic to peanuts," I answered in a deadpan tone. "You didn't know?" Victoria's voice spiked in volume. "You did this on purpose! Are you really that desperate to eliminate him?" A sharp, incredulous laugh ripped out of me. "So what if I did? What exactly do you want from me? Do you want me to write a formal apology for his throat closing up?" "I will let it slide this time!" Victoria hissed through gritted teeth. "Since he will be living under our roof from now on, you better pay close attention! I will not tolerate another incident like this!" She expected me to actively cater to him in my own home? I could hardly believe the words coming out of her mouth. Just how utterly shameless could this woman become? Before I could fire back, Tristan let out another dramatic, strangled groan from the back. The last thread of Victoria's rationality snapped. "We have to get to the ER right now!" She fired up the engine and looked at me frantically. "Get out of the car!" I stood absolutely still, staring through the window. "You want me to walk back?" We were in the middle of an exclusive, isolated suburban estate. Public transportation did not exist here, and catching a cab at this hour was virtually impossible. Victoria punched the steering wheel in frustration. "The hospital is in the completely opposite direction of our house! I do not have the time to drop you off, Tristan's life is on the line! Figure it out yourself. Deal with it!" With a screech of tires, she slammed on the gas, leaving me standing in a cloud of harsh exhaust fumes. I stood entirely alone on the dark, empty road. A bitter night wind swept past, cutting through my clothes and chilling me to the bone. She said it so casually. Deal with it. Yes. I had dealt with far too much over the past few years. I pulled out my phone and dialed her personal chauffeur. "Thomas, please come pick me up from the old estate." Ten minutes later, the sleek black car pulled up. Thomas looked surprised to see me standing alone. "Mr. Joey, where is the boss? I thought you were returning together." I pulled open the door and slid in. "An urgent matter came up at the company. She had to leave early." Inside, I was laughing bitterly. She was busy nursing her precious first love. Not long after I got back to the silent house, my phone chimed with a notification. I tapped the screen, and my pupils violently contracted. In the photo, Victoria was fast asleep in a plush hotel bed, wearing a thick white bathrobe. Her pale skin was littered with aggressive, unmistakable red hickeys, trailing from the base of her neck all the way down to her collarbone. Beneath the photo was a highly provocative text: "Joey, Victoria isn't coming home tonight. She said she can only truly relax when she is with me." So, the dramatic peanut allergy emergency was nothing but a cheap excuse for them to get a hotel room. Victoria. You really outdid yourself this time. My face was a mask of absolute stone. I took screenshots of the photo and the message, bundled them together, and emailed them directly to my lawyer. Then, I forwarded the same screenshots to Victoria with a single line of text: [I guess giving him the house wasn't enough. You had to hand over your body too, right?] Within twenty minutes of sending the message, Victoria burst through the front door, looking panicked and slightly breathless. A guilty, caught-in-the-act expression was plastered across her face. "Joey, listen to me, it is not what you think. Tristan and I..." "Shut up," I cut her off with ice in my voice, refusing to listen to her exhausted, pathetic lies. She tried to step forward and grab my hand. "Come on, stop throwing a tantrum. Nothing happened between us." I violently slapped her hand away in pure disgust. I turned around, walked into the study, and grabbed a massive, thick stack of old debt collection notices. "Victoria, look at these!" I pointed at the mountain of yellowing bills, my voice violently trembling with suppressed rage. "Do you remember these? When your family went bankrupt, I was the one who moved into that pitch black basement with you. I was the one who starved with you, eating one meal a day!" "To help you clear tens of millions in debt, I emptied my entire life savings. I slaved away in a cubicle all day and drove cabs all night!" "When you got blackout drunk and collapsed on the sidewalk, I was the one who carried you home on your back. When your wealthy former friends humiliated you in public, I was the one who stood in front of you and fought them off! Where the hell was your precious Tristan back then?!" "And look at you now. You climbed out of the gutter. You are the untouchable CEO again. You get your precious first love back in your arms, and suddenly I am just an obstacle in your way?" By the end, I was practically screaming. I took the heavy stack of bills and viciously hurled them directly into her face. The papers exploded into the air, raining down around us. "How exactly are you going to pay me back for this?!"