The Final Invoice For Our Divorce

It was New Years Day dinner when my wife, Sienna, slapped the debit card for our joint bank account down on the marble table in front of me.

Her face was stony. You are going to explain this to me. Why is there only thirty-two cents left in this account?

I deposited half a million dollars this year. Where is the money?!

I stood up slowly, keeping my voice level. Take a breath, Sienna. I have the statements right here

I reached for my phone.

My mother-in-law, Carol, interrupted me with a voice dripping in sweet venom. Your sister just bought a brand-new luxury SUV. Where do you think she got the cash? You clearly took my daughters money and handed it over to your family!

I ignored Carol and placed the detailed bank statement in front of Sienna.

She glanced at it, then violently swatted my hand away.

Enough. Get your sister to return the five hundred thousand dollars before the end of the week, or were getting a divorce!

A cold, hard laugh escaped me. I picked up my phone, sending the entire years expenditure report directly into the Richard family group chat.

In the accompanying draft divorce agreement, I demanded that Sienna and her family repay me eighty thousand dollars.

The family group chat instantly exploded. People who hadn't spoken to me in months suddenly started begging me not to go through with it.

A surge of icy rage hit me.

I looked at Sienna and smirked. Are you sure you want to go through with this divorce?

Sienna barely glanced at me. If your sister returns the money, I might drop it.

But let me be clear: starting next year, I will never put another dollar into that joint account!

My smile became openly mocking. I nodded slowly. Fine. Lets get divorced, then.

Carol shrieked, slamming her chopsticks down.

Cameron Mitchell! Im telling you, even if you divorce my daughter, you will return that money! Otherwise, I will sue you!

I looked at her calmly, speaking each word distinctly. Dont worry, before we divorce, I will account for every single penny.

I paused, my voice dropping an octave. Just one question, though: Are you saying that whoever spent the money is the one who has to pay it all back?

Carol snorted, her chin lifted high. Exactly! You spent my daughters money on your family, and youll repay every cent of it.

I nodded.

With that statement, I was set.

I went back to our bedroom, grabbed my phone, and sent one simple message into Siennas family group chat:

I have decided to divorce Sienna.

The group had been a flurry of cheerful holiday emojis and gift card links moments ago.

My message dropped into a silence that was deafening.

I didnt care if they replied or not.

I tossed the phone onto the bed and started packing a suitcase.

Sienna burst through the door. Are you insane?!

Its a holiday, and youre sending that kind of garbage in the chat? Its bad luck! Recall it immediately! Say it was a mistake!

I didnt look up. I wont recall it.

I was only telling the truth. Why would I take it back?

Besides, it was just a divorce. What was so unlucky about finally being free?

My phone suddenly began pinging relentlessly.

Messages were pouring into the family chat.

Carol was wailing in text: What kind of life does my daughter live? My heart aches, seeing this!

He does nothing all day and steals Siennas money to buy his sister a car! Sienna simply asked a question, and now hes demanding a divorce!

Have you ever met such a shameless son-in-law? That was five hundred thousand dollars! Since he didnt earn it, he doesnt care about it!

I dont care if you laugh at me, but I have been sick of this man for a long time. Divorce is fine! Ill take care of my daughter myself from now on!

I curled my lips into a sneer of contempt.

If it hadn't been for her constant meddling, Sienna and I might never have reached this point.

Besides, I thought about the account statements.

I honestly couldn't comprehend how Carol could claim she hadn't touched a penny of that money.

The moment she discovered Sienna was depositing a large amount into the joint account every month, she started hitting me up for cash.

Today, she needed fifty thousand for a couples cruise with my father-in-law.

Tomorrow, her distant cousin was getting married and needed twenty thousand for a down payment.

The day after, she needed a quarter of a million to lend to a struggling former classmate.

And Sienna herself

Her colleagues would chip in fifty dollars for a wedding gift.

But Sienna insisted that, as a team leader, she had to save face and send a check for ten thousand dollars.

Five colleagues got married in one year; that was fifty thousand dollars just on cash gifts.

On top of that, there were expensive holiday gifts for her senior executives.

Two or three thousand dollars minimum per holiday.

She had no idea that her fifty thousand dollar deposits hadn't even covered the family's actual lifestyle expenses.

I had always told myself we were family.

I wasn't a man who counted every penny.

I simply covered the difference, quietly transferring money from my personal account whenever the joint one ran dry.

But I never imagined my generosity would be so deeply misunderstood and warped.

I thought, out of the eighteen people in the family chat, someone would have the decency to speak up for me.

I was wrong.

As soon as Carol's messages came out, the chat erupted in a chorus of condemnation.

What?!

How could he take all of Siennas money for his own family? Thats disgusting!

That was Helen Sawyer, Siennas aunt.

Six months ago, she told me her nephew needed a hundred thousand for a house down payment.

To put my mind at ease, shed given me a signed IOU, promising to pay it back as soon as possible.

I had transferred the money from my own personal funds.

I never pressed her, and she never paid it back.

A guy like him will never make five hundred thousand dollars in his life. The old saying is right: the worst thieves are the ones in your own house!

That was Brett Harris, Sienna's cousin.

Three months ago, he came to me asking for two hundred thousand for a startup.

I refused, but Carol stepped in, guaranteed the loan, and I begrudgingly transferred the money.

As far as I knew, hed blown through the entire two hundred thousand within a month.

He hadnt said a word about a repayment plan.

There were a few attempts at mediation.

Cam, Im not judging, but you were being insensitive. My sister is busy working all year. Your job is to handle the logistics. Spending her money on your sisterwhats that about?

Listen to me, man. Go get the five hundred grand back right now, apologize properly to my sister, and this will all blow over.

That was Jamie Richard, Siennas younger brother.

He was currently in college.

Last month, hed hit me up for three thousand dollars for a trip to Cabo for the holidays.

All year, hed demanded money from me with an air of entitlement.

Im spending my sisters money, not yours. What right do you have to refuse me?

I reminded myself he was young, he was Siennas brother.

Even knowing the money was a dead loss, I transferred it without question.

Now, as I watched the messages jump up and down in the family chat, the contempt in my eyes sharpened.

Ever since I married Sienna, I had been the one managing all their social and financial dramas.

When they needed loans, they were full of sweet talk.

Now, they were calling me a shameless thief.

I slowly typed and sent a message: The money was not spent by me or my family. I will not be repaying it.

At that, the rest of the relatives who had been silently watching suddenly jumped in.

Cameron! Its the holidays, stop causing drama! Everyone knows your sister doesnt have a real job. How did she buy a car?

My sister, Paige, didnt have a nine-to-five job.

But she wasnt a freeloader, either.

She managed my parents domestic businesses.

My parents are entrepreneurs who are constantly busy, often traveling abroad to scout for investments.

Theyd set up a private holding company for Paige to manage our US interests.

My parents gave Paige a monthly allowance of two hundred thousand dollars as a formality.

So, her new Rolls-Royceshe could easily afford that after saving for a few months.

I scoffed. My sisters car cost over a million dollars. Siennas joint account only had half a million. How could it possibly have been Siennas money?

I hadn't wanted to say anything.

Even after marrying Sienna, I had only ever told her that my parents were business owners and financially comfortable.

I never told her that their net income was in the tens of millions annually.

But Sienna refused to believe it. She was convinced Id spent the joint funds on my sister.

Sienna stood at the door, clutching her phone, reading my message in the chat.

She gave a cold laugh. Still lying? If it wasn't for my five hundred thousand, how else could your sister have cobbled together enough cash to buy that car outright?

She looked disappointed. Cam, I told you when we got married, you could help your sister, but you had to ask me first.

How could you just take the money without a word and give it to an outsider?

I suddenly found her profoundly ridiculous.

I put down my phone, looked up, and took a deep breath. Im saying it one more time. My family didnt touch a single cent of your money.

Just as I spoke, Carol burst back in, slamming the door.

Sienna! Dont waste your breath on him! Your Aunt Helen just told me she saw Camerons parents at the airport last month!

Carol glared at me, pointing a finger at my face. Your parents went on vacation, didnt they? That was my daughters money too, wasnt it?

If I had known you were capable of such shameless behavior, I never would have let Sienna marry you!

I recalled the conversation. My mother had mentioned running into Helen at the airport.

The Richards were going on a family trip and Helen had bragged about flying first class.

I curled my lip.

They had money to travel, but no money to repay their loans.

It was clear my easygoing nature had made them believe I was a pushover.

I zipped up the last item of clothing in my suitcase.

I stood up, giving Carol a fake, chilling smile. Youre right. I shouldnt have married Sienna.

Ill send you the final accounting and the divorce papers as soon as possible.

With that, I grabbed my suitcase and walked out.

Siennas face paled. She yanked the suitcase handle. What do you mean? Youre serious about the divorce?

I gave a light laugh. You know I dont make jokes like this.

Carol yelled from inside the apartment. Let him go, Sienna! Id like to see where he finds a woman as good as you once youre divorced!

She faced me, speaking with a defiant, arrogant tone. You walk out that door today, and you can forget about ever coming backeven if you get on your knees and beg me!

I looked at her deeply.

I sincerely hoped she would keep that promise once I finished sending out the rest of the statements.

It was New Years Eve, and late at night, making it difficult to get a cab.

I called my sister, Paige, to come pick me up.

On the way home, I told her everything.

When we arrived, Paiges eyes were red. She rushed over and hugged my mother.

Mom, you didnt see how pathetic Cam looked! On a holiday, he was standing alone downstairs with his suitcase in the cold wind!

She gritted her teeth in fury. That woman didnt even offer to help him leave!

My mother, having heard the whole story, put an arm around my shoulder. Get the divorce. You absolutely must!

All the accumulated frustration and humiliation Id endured at the Richards house instantly vanished.

Home truly was the warmest harbor.

My brother-in-law, Tyler, came over to me. So, Cam, youre just going to let them get away with this?

I gave a slight, cold smile and shook my head. Let them get away with it?

Im going to make every single one of them regret this. Im just getting started.

I began the process of exporting every single bank statement for the year.

Every expense was documented clearly and precisely.

The joint account received five hundred thousand dollars.

But my total personal expenditure this year was one million three hundred thousand dollars.

After Sienna and I married, she told me to quit my job and focus on managing the household.

Sienna always thought she was providing for me.

What she didnt know was that my mother gave me an annual allowance of three million dollars, which was even more than she gave Paige.

It wasn't that my mother favored me. It was because I had moved into Siennas home after we married, and she was worried I would be mistreated.

Siennas family was comfortable, but they were worlds apart from mine.

When I married Sienna, my mother hadn't objected.

She only had one condition: dont tell the Richards the true extent of our familys wealth.

I had agreed.

Now, it seemed my mother had been right all along.

My phone vibrated.

Sienna had sent a message to the group chat.

Cameron Mitchell! Im giving you one last chance. Get your sister to give me back the money, and I wont divorce you!

I gave a dry laugh. I wont.

Fine! You wont return it? Then dont blame me for not respecting our marriage!

Wait for the court summons!

Carol was also screaming in the group. See? This man is a disaster waiting to happen! Any woman who marries him is doomed!

Helen Sawyer chimed in: Dont worry, well all go to court and testify for you!

Why should our Richard family money go to outsiders?

I laughed mockingly. She seemed to forget she wasnt a Richard.

Even Jamie, Siennas brother, chimed in from his vacation in Cabo, supporting her.

Go for it, Sis! Divorce him!

Ill introduce you to a younger guy with six-pack abs! Who needs this old man of a husband!

I didn't reply again.

I called the lawyer who often handled my parents corporate issues.

I asked her how to draft the divorce agreement and how to reclaim the eight hundred thousand dollars I had spent on the Richards.

I have the transfer records, the IOUs, and the signed guarantees from the person who vouched for the loan.

The lawyer replied, Thats all we need. Furthermore, the allowance your parents give you is a personal gift, transferred directly to you. That does not count as marital property.

I let out a sigh of relief.

Sienna, Im going to settle this debt, item by item.

Ping.

The annual bank statement export was complete.

The next day, my lawyer came to my house, ostensibly to wish us a happy new year, but she brought the finalized divorce agreement.

The last item was a demand for Siennas family to repay my personal funds of eight hundred thousand dollars.

I signed my name first.

Then, I forwarded the exported bank statements directly to the Richard family group chat.

Every expense was listed in excruciating detail.

Every penny lent to them was documented as coming from my personal savings account.

Now that I was divorcing Sienna, I was demanding that the entire family, including Carol and Sienna, repay the eight hundred thousand dollars they owed me.

Five minutes later.

The group chat exploded.