The Fake Broke Challenge Committee

Sam Cassidy and I have been married for three years. We lived in the poorer part of the city and ate canned food that was close to expiring, and I worked three jobs a day. I even had to consider for 30 minutes before deciding if I should buy a box of discounted strawberries. Sam was gentle and considerate, and I could not find any fault with him except that he was extremely broke. He was so broke that I had to take care of him financially when I could barely take care of myself. However, we had to live life positively, and an ordinary and busy life was the norm for ordinary people like us. This continued until I accidentally bumped into his phone, and the screen lit up. A chat group named 'The Fake Broke Challenge Committee' appeared on his phone screen. [I guess you're the reigning champion again, Sam.] [It's impressive that it has been three years and your lie hasn't been exposed.] Chapter 1 I was holding a glass of milk when my hand paused midair. Several texts had popped up one after the other. [Is that dumb woman making you dinner? My wife doesn't treat me that way anymore and keeps asking for a divorce instead.] [That's why we shouldn't marry smart women. We should marry women like Maisie Stratford who are obedient and know their place.] [Don't be jealous. Sam is such a professional. He acts as if he is super broke, prompting his wife to go as far as to pick up leftover vegetables at the market for free. It’s a pity he can't be nominated as a best actor with acting chops like his.] Maisie Stratford knew her place and picked up leftover vegetables at the market... I lowered my eyes to look at my sweater, which was frayed and worn. There were even holes in my sleeves. It was true that I went to the market last month to pick up leftover vegetables. It was because Sam told me that his company had not paid him in three months and, after calculating every cent I had, it was still not enough to pay our rent. I put down my glass of milk and picked up Sam's phone. His password was my birthday, and he had specially set it up in front of me, sure that I would never check his phone. If I had not seen his texts by accident, I would never have looked into his phone. The chat group was called 'The Fake Broke Challenge Committee', and I tapped to bring it up. There were seven members in total, and I started to scroll through the chat history. They had a shared file called 'The Fake Broke Challenge Rules'. I clicked on the file. The first rule stated that if the woman suggested she would become the family's breadwinner, the challenger would gain 50 points. All I could hear was ringing in my ears. During the first winter of our marriage, Sam was sitting on the sofa, looking ashamed as he told me that his company was about to go bankrupt. I held his hand and comforted him by telling him that I would take care of him financially. Sam buried his face in my palms as his shoulders quivered. I thought he was crying, but now that I think about it, he must have been laughing instead. The second rule stated that if the woman was willing to give up their career or an opportunity to be promoted at work, the challenger would gain 50 points. During the second year of our marriage, I had an opportunity to be transferred and promoted to another location. My salary would have doubled and I would have had a bright future in my career. I spent three sleepless nights filling out the application. I passed the interview and was announced as the chosen candidate. That day, I bought some steaks and went home happily. Sam remained silent for a long time as his eyes turned red from trying not to cry. "What's going to happen to me if you leave for two years, Maisie? Are you leaving me behind?" I withdrew my application the next day, and my superior looked at me in disappointment. "You're too focused on your love life, Maisie. This is a great opportunity. You'll regret it if you give it up." The fifth rule stated that if the challenger pretended to be sick or got into a serious accident, and the woman refused to leave his side, no matter what, he would gain 50 points. There was a note in red on the side, 'Sam's wife used all her savings on him, an additional 20 points.' Sam was in a car accident last year, and his medical bills, which included hospitalization, cost close to $15,000. That amount was my total savings, which I had saved up for years. I was slightly hesitant, but Sam was sobbing while saying to me pitifully, "I'm so useless. I haven't even given you a good life, yet I’m already being a burden to you. I'd rather kill myself than make you suffer." He wanted to jump off a building after that, and I paid his medical bill with my savings because I could not bear for him to lose his life. … The ninth rule stated that if the woman got an abortion, the challenger would gain 50 points. At this point, my hands started to tremble. I had gotten pregnant six months ago, but Sam did not look happy when I shared the news with him. Instead, he looked troubled, and he banged his head against the wall. I hugged him to calm him down, and he said with tears brimming in his eyes, "Our living conditions are so horrible right now. The baby would only suffer after being born. We should abort it rather than let our child suffer along with us. However, I refused, but he continued to talk me into it. "Honey, we can have another child in the future." I cried the entire night, and got the abortion the next day. Sam waited for me outside the surgery room, and he put a coat over me. That coat was a birthday present I bought for him that cost $280 after discount. When I gave him the present, he told me to return it because it was too expensive, but I refused because I felt that he was worth all the good things in life. It turned out that, from his perspective, the one thing that was unworthy of anything was me. Chapter 2 I continued scrolling down and saw that Sam was in the lead on the challenge board with 470 points. He was more than 100 points ahead of second place. Someone in the group tagged him in a text. [Sam, is there something wrong with your wife's brain? Any normal woman would have realized what's going on by now.] He replied with just a few words. [She loves and trusts me.] Someone started to tease Sam. [Are you going to tell us next that it's because you are irresistible to women?] Sam replied with a shrugging emoji. Everyone started laughing. [By the way, it's Edie's birthday in two weeks. Isn't she back in the country? What surprise will you be planning for her this time, Sam?] [Are you going to fill a cruise ship with flowers, or get her a limited edition item?] [Or will you be taking her on a trip with you to San Ava?] [What would your wife do if you left with Edie?] Someone replied right away. [Sam will definitely give Edie a big surprise. Edie is the one who got away. He got married out of spite because Edie hurt him. As for Maisie, Sam will probably find a reason to divorce her eventually.] My knuckles turned white as I gripped the phone tightly, but I continued scrolling. [You're right. He doesn't love that woman. If he did, he wouldn't have made her suffer so much.] [She's like Sam's personal lapdog. All he needs to do is beckon and she will run to him with her tail wagging.] Sam had replied with indifference. [It's too mild to call her a lapdog. She's so consumed with love that it's like late-stage cancer. She can no longer be cured.] His words punched a huge hole in my heart. I kept looking while trying to blink away my tears, but all I could see was the hanging light that looked like it could fall at any time. Tears streamed down my face while I wondered why there was wind in the house, blowing sand into my eyes. I refused to admit that I was heartbroken. I wiped my tears away and put the phone back where it was. My warm milk had turned cold, and a layer of film had formed on the top. I suddenly felt nauseous, and I ran into the bathroom to throw up. I sat on the toilet for a long time, thinking about the three years I was married to him. We did not have a wedding because he said we should save up to buy a house. We did not have our honeymoon because he said to wait until he had money, and that he would make it up to me. Once, my mother came to visit me secretly, and I rode an old bike to pick her up. I even had to tie a hard cardboard to the back seat to make sure my mother would be comfortable leaning back. Her eyes brimmed with tears when she climbed onto the back of the bike. That night, she held my hand and said, "You're leading a hard life, Maisie." I insisted that my life was not hard because Sam was a good man. A good man? I started laughing. I could see my pale face in the bathroom mirror, and I had dark circles under my eyes. Three years ago, I weighed 110 pounds, but I was 86 pounds now. Sam insisted that I looked nice because I was skinny, but I was really suffering from malnutrition. I even passed out several times, scaring the lights out of my boss once from my part-time job. He stopped me from going to work after that. I turned on the tap and washed my face. I saw the woman's eyes turn red in the mirror, and she slowly laughed self-deprecatingly. Three years of my life were equivalent to 470 points to him. I had lived my life like a joke after getting married to him. My phone in the living room rang, and I wiped my hands before walking out of the bathroom. My phone screen lit up and displayed my wallpaper. Sam and I were looking at the camera with happy smiles and gesturing a heart with our hands. Anyone who saw that photo of us would think that we're an ordinary, happy husband and wife duo. "Honey, I think I left my phone at home. I'll get a despatch to help pick it up." The call was from Sam. "You don't need to trouble anyone. I can deliver the phone to you." Sam rejected my offer right away. "You don't need to do that!" He realized how unfriendly his tone was, and he softened it. "I just don't want you to exert yourself, Honey. You work several part time jobs a day, and I just hate myself for being useless and unable to give you a comfortable life." He was doing it again. Sam would always say things like that whenever money was involved, but this time, I did not say any comforting words to him. "Why did you marry me if you knew that you couldn't give me a good life?" "..." Sam was speechless. Chapter 3 Sam started to sound concerned, "Are you feeling tired, Honey? Or did I do something to upset you?" I was feeling a little tired, but I replied calmly, "It's our third wedding anniversary today." Sam was apologetic. "I'm sorry, Honey. It's my fault for getting so busy that I forgot about such an important day, but I called you because I remembered it earlier, and I wanted to tell you that I've prepared a gift for you." I sneered quietly at his words. Wedding anniversary? It was not today. He was even talking about a gift. The last time he brought a gift back for me, it was a bunch of wilted vegetables that he bought on the cheap because the stall owner was about to close the stall. I replied, "All right." After that, I put my phone down on the table and started to think about what to prepare for our divorce. I had all my personal documents, and we did not have a house or car. Put together, our savings only amounted to a four-digit number. There was nothing to divide between us. The only thing I could not let go was the last three years I wasted on him. I worked several jobs every day for the past three years. I would wake up at 6 am to take the breakfast shift at a diner, and go to my office at 9 am. At night, I would take up small jobs until midnight. All the money I earned was spent on whatever Sam needed money for. Sam needed money when his company went bankrupt, when his friend needed money for an emergency, when he was scammed by a phone call and ended up in debt, and when he had his accident. There was not one time in all those occasions that I had ever doubted him. When Sam came home that night, he was holding two bags. He was taken aback to see me at home. "Why are you home so early tonight, Honey?" "Am I early?" I asked. "Of course, it is. It's only 4 pm. It's considered early for you if you come back at 8 pm." "Why are you home so early?" Sam paused in his tracks. "Isn't it our third wedding anniversary today? I wanted to come home early to surprise you. By the way, there's a special on eggs at the supermarket today, and I managed to get two dozen." He put the eggs down and gave me a silly smile. I used to love that smile of his. It made me feel what a positive person he was because no matter how bad his situation was, he would never complain, nor would he display any negative energy. When I remained silent, he started to worry. "Honey, are you not feeling well today?" He came over to kiss my forehead. "I'll make dinner. You should rest." He kissed my forehead again and rolled up his sleeves before entering the kitchen. While we were having dinner, Sam suddenly took a picture of it. "My friends are asking me what we're having for dinner. I'm too lazy to describe dinner, so I'm taking a picture for them instead." I grunted a reply. It was true that someone in the chat group was asking him about our dinner. [What delicious meal has your dumb wife made for you today?] Sam shared the picture he took. Our dinner was just soup and omelettes. [That's it? Isn't today your third wedding anniversary?] [You're a force to reckon with, Sam. When I was faking being broke, I still gave enough money to my wife to make me ribs. We would even eat at a restaurant once in a while.] [What do you know? The devil's in the details, and Sam knows it. Having simple dishes at home only makes the situation more believable.] [By the way, what are you planning to tell Edie? You have to be careful not to expose this challenge during her birthday.] Sam replied, [Don't worry. I've booked the flight tickets.] [What about your wife?] [I'll tell her it's a business trip.] Sam put his phone down and looked at me. "Honey, I need to talk to you about something." Here it was. I nodded. "What is it?" "An opportunity came up at my company, and they're sending me off on a business trip to San Ava. It will take about three months," he sounded apologetic. "I didn't really want to go, but you know how it is at home…" "You should go for it." Chapter 4 Sam was taken aback when I agreed so quickly because he did not expect it. "But it's three months, and you'll be all by yourself at home…" "It's fine. I'm used to it," I said with a smile, which he probably had no idea what I was really smiling about. "By the way, you mentioned you have a surprise for me." "Oh, right." Sam took out a box from his pocket that contained a very thin silver necklace. There was a very small gold bead pendant on it. It looked so small that it was probably fake. "Happy third anniversary, Honey." He said it so lovingly to me. I took the necklace from him and had a closer look at it. "How much did you spend on this?" "It's not that expensive. It's less than $30," Sam replied with a shy smile. "Once I start making money, I'll buy a better one for you." Sam looked sincere when he made the promise. He frowned slightly, and his eyes filled with guilt and heartache for my predicament. I looked up at his face, a face that I had looked at for three years. Every inch of his face was so familiar to me, but at that moment, it felt like he was a stranger. That night, I could not sleep, but Sam slept very soundly and deeply next to me. I turned over on my side and looked at him under the night light. He had nice-looking eyes, a chiseled chin, and a high nose. He did not look like an ordinary man at all. My good friend used to say that my husband looked like those rich heirs seen on television. I laughed at the comment and told her that if he was a rich heir, I would be a rich heiress. How ironic. Sam turned out to be a rich heir, but I was no rich heiress. I was just a stupid woman who had been blinded by love. The next morning, Sam left for work. He even made an effort to tell me that he had a lot of work today and had to work overtime. After he left the house, I followed behind me by calling a taxi. I got the taxi to tail his cheap bike. Sam rode on the bike for ten minutes, and he turned into a wealthy residential area. My taxi was stopped outside the gates. The driver asked if I wanted to wait, and I said yes. An hour later, a black sedan drove out of the residential area. The window was half open, and I could see Sam in the back seat. He was wearing a suit, and he was reading a document with his head lowered. He looked completely different from the man this morning who was dressed in simple clothes and rode a bike. The driver grumbled, "That Maybach is worth at least $900,000." I remained silent as I took my phone out to take a few pictures. After that, I continued following Sam for two days, and I finally managed to piece his other life together. Sam would ride his bike to the residential area every morning to change his clothes and take another car. After that, he would head to the headquarters of Cassidy Enterprise to work. When he was done with work, he would return to the residential area to change his clothes and come home on his cheap bike. It was perfect planning. Sam should have been nominated for best actor at the Oscars. On the third day, I followed him to Cassidy Enterprise to pretend to interview for a job. I saw him walk out when the elevator doors opened. "Sam, you're here." I stood at the corner of the corridor and watched as a woman hugged his arm intimately and helped him adjust his tie. When she looked over in my direction, I saw her exquisite features and her Chanel outfit. I had seen her picture in the group chat before. It was Edie Lamb, Sam's lost love. Sam looked down at her and smiled softly, while I put my phone on silent mode and took several pictures of them. They were walking side by side along the corridor. Edie's eyes had tears in them as she held his hand. "You promised to take me on a romantic trip to San Ava, Sam. Can you divorce her during that period? I promise I won't contact you anymore after our three months there." Edie choked back a sob while speaking, and anyone who heard her would have been touched. Sam hesitated a moment before nodding. "All right." I watched them until they vanished from my sight. When I turned to leave, I caught myself looking into a mirror. My eyes were red, but my tears did not fall. It was strange, but I could not cry at all. All I felt was an empty feeling in my chest, as if something had been dug out, leaving it empty. Everyone started to blur around me. I could see people speaking, but I could not hear anything. That was when I realized that when one had been utterly heartbroken, they would not be able to hear anything around them. When I returned to our rental home on the poorer side of the city, I started packing my things. After finding out that everything that happened to me was not a joke, but a con game with me as the victim, I no longer cared what his initial purpose was when he married me, nor did I care if he loved me. None of that was important anymore. This house was too small to pack in a marriage filled with lies. From this day onward, whatever happened in his world had nothing to do with me.