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585words2026-01-26 09:04

Lately, a game has taken over Emily Harper's social circle.
Pretend to be bankrupt for a month.
To test the loyalty of their partners.

To make it seem real, the challenger's friends and family help to keep up the pretense.
Even their company appoints a" new boss."
Wearing a$5 t-shirt and a sanitation worker's cap, Emily confidently set out to test her beloved man.
Nathan Brooks.
But Nathan was revolted when he saw her.
He called security and had her thrown out.

Stunned for a long time, she shakily dials another number.
"James, I'm bankrupt now.I’ve got no where to go."
A little girl's warm voice comforts her.
"Mommy, don't be scared. You can stay in my room."

When Emily called, I was in the kitchen baking a cake.
My daughter, Lily, was playing a game on my phone.
She answered the call right away.
Whatever Emily said, Lily's face lit up.
She rushed over to me, and one of her shoes fell off.
"Daddy, great news! Mommy's bankrupt! She can spend my birthday with me this year!"
Bankrupt?
The call's still connected, labeled" Ex-Wife."
The last time Emily called was during the holidays.
She only contacts me on special occasions, asking me to play the loving husband in front of her parents to keep them happy.
But once we left their house, she'd coldly shake off my hand and drive off to be with Nathan.
Her car was always filled with gift boxes in the backseat and red roses on the passenger seat.
Clutching the$1,000"performance fee"she tosses me, I stand in the cold wind, feeling no sadness.
After all, that money paid for six months' rent for Lily and me.
Learning Emily's bankrupt, I'm only puzzled—why not turn to Nathan, the man she adored?
Why calling me?
Emily asks cautiously," James, I have no place to stay and haven't eaten all day. Can you take me in?"
I'm about to say" No."
Lily tugs my sleeve, her big, grape-like eyes blinking with hope and pleading.
"Daddy, let Mommy spend my birthday with me just once. Other kids have both parents there."
I look down and my heart is aching.
I know Lily craves mother's love.
Emily does care for Lily.
She takes her to amusement parks, buys her dresses, and gives her whole sets of princess toys.
But one day, Lily came home dejected, saying she'd never bother Mommy again.
I dropped my spatula and stormed into Nathan's villa.
With the brute strength of washing a thousand dishes a day, I slapped Nathan, dunked his face in the toilet and flushed his filthy mouth.
Emily never mentioned seeing Lily again.
But today is Lily's birthday, and she just wants her parents there.
I relent." Emily, Lily misses you. You can come for dinner."
She exhales, relieved, as if thinking, At least I'm not completely abandoned.
"You're still at Crestwood Heights, right? I'll be there soon."
I'm confused."Where? I've never been there."
I rent in Willow Grove, near Lily's preschool.
Outside, there was a street full of food stalls. At night, the karaoke noise came from across the road, and a roach spray vendor passes by often.
It was very different from the fancy neighborhood she mentioned. Emily went quiet for a moment, then asked for my actual address.
Even in cheap clothes, her elegance stands out.
Lily pounced and hugged her leg.
Emily fondly pats her head, but when she looked around our small two - bedroom apartment, her expression turned cold.
"This is where you let my daughter live?"