The Game My Husband Lost

My daughter, Emma Blackwood, was sick. We were thirty thousand short of the treatment that could save her life. My husband, Nathan Blackwood, looked devastated, his face tight with guilt. "Honey, I'm sorry. This is my fault. I don't have the money to save our daughter." To pay for Emma's treatment, I worked four jobs daily, but during a restaurant shift, I saw Nathan rent the entire place to wine and dine another woman. With a bright smile, she poured him a drink. "Mr. Blackwood, you are generous. You spend tens of millions like it's nothing. You can have any woman you want, so why marry some broke, low-class woman?" Nathan slowly blew out a stream of smoke, his eyes full of contempt. "You wouldn't understand. Marrying a poor woman like that makes it fun. "Watching her humiliate herself over a little money, working herself to the bone. It's entertaining." My body went cold. I could barely breathe. So Nathan had been a wealthy heir all along, pretending to be poor and lying to me from the start. What he didn't know was this: I was the long-lost daughter of the richest family in the country. And with a single word from me, his entire world could be destroyed. Chapter 1 I Married a Fake Poor Man "Ow!" The woman let out a sharp cry, and I immediately apologized. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I had been trying to slip past quietly when I accidentally brushed against a woman in a glittering evening gown. I barely had time to react before my arm grazed hers. She frowned in disgust. "Do you have any idea how much this dress costs?" I truly had no idea. Still, anyone dining in a place like this was either wealthy, influential, or both. "I'm sorry, miss." Her dress was spotless. All I had done was brush her arm, but she acted like she'd been touched by something filthy. "What good is an apology? Go get your manager." The other guests turned to look, several of them frowning in annoyance. The manager hurried over and personally escorted the woman into a private VIP room. "Ms. Sinclair, I'm terribly sorry," he stated. "This meal is on the house. Will that be acceptable?" Charlotte Sinclair rolled her eyes. "And what about her? She saw me coming and still didn't get out of the way. A clueless waitress like that should be fired, shouldn't she?" The moment I heard the word 'fired,' my heart jolted. "I'm really sorry," I blurted out. "I didn't see you coming. It was my fault." In truth, I had seen her and even moved out of the way, but somehow, she still collided with me. Charlotte curled her lip with open contempt. "So, that's all you are." I wondered, 'What is that supposed to mean?' Yet, she said nothing more. All I could do was keep apologizing, the words tumbling out one after another. The pay here was good, and I knew the supervisor had only given me a chance out of pity. My daughter, Emma, was ill, and this job was my only hope of affording her treatment. Just as I bent down to apologize again, a familiar voice sounded behind me. "Charlotte, what are you doing here?" I had just started to lift my head when Charlotte snapped, "Don't look up. Keep apologizing." Still bent over, I heard the man murmur in a coaxing voice, "Who made my little princess mad this time? It's not worth getting upset over." His voice dripped with affection, but hearing it sent a chill down my spine. That voice was far too familiar. After a little more sweet talk, Charlotte finally smiled again. "It's nothing. You weren't here, so I had to find something to pass the time." So she truly orchestrated the whole scene. Looping her arm through his, she grinned. "No need to comp the meal. Just fire the waitress. I can afford a six-figure dinner." For once, the manager held his ground. "This is an issue on our end, ma'am. There's no need for you to concern yourself with it." Charlotte's expression darkened again, but the man cupped her face and kissed her. "All right. Why waste your time arguing with a waitress?" I waited until the two of them disappeared into the private room before finally straightening up. My neck throbbed from being bent over for so long. I turned to the manager apologetically. "Mr. Cole, I'm so sorry." Adam Cole waved it off. "It's fine. She's been here before. More than once, actually. She's picky, high-maintenance, and always finds something to complain about. I just didn't expect her to use you as an excuse this time." After I left the room, I kept thinking about the voice I had just heard. I couldn't help myself. I leaned over and glanced inside. At the table, I caught sight of a familiar profile. I froze where I stood. That side profile looked exactly like Nathan's. Chapter 2 A Face Too Familiar That night after work, one of the other waitresses said to me, "The guest tonight was insanely generous. He spent ten million just to reserve the whole restaurant." Still reeling from the day's events, I forced a brittle smile, my heart weighed down. "Oh? That's… generous," I said, but the words felt distant even to me. The waitress leaned closer and lowered her voice. "He's been coming here for years. He brings a different woman almost every time, and each visit costs at least six figures. The guy is seriously loaded." I paused for a moment. 'Then, it probably wasn't Nathan. He can't even scrape together a few cents right now, so how could he possibly spend millions on one dinner?' Relief loosened the knot in my chest, just enough for me to hurry through my closing tasks and slip out as soon as my shift ended. The moment I stepped out of the restaurant, Nathan called. "Hey, honey, are you off work yet? Do you want me to pick you up at the mart?" My main job was working as a cashier at a mart. In the evenings and on my breaks, I also worked part-time at this restaurant. That day happened to be my day off from the mart, so I had come straight here instead. He still thought I was at the mart. I never told him about this part-time job. If I had, he would have only worried about me. For some reason, I didn't tell him where I actually was. Instead, I answered, "No, it's okay. Let's just meet at the hospital. We should check on Emma today." There was a brief silence on the other end before he responded, "Okay. I'll wait for you there." … The moment I arrived at the hospital, I saw the doctor hurrying out of my daughter's room. As soon as he saw me, his expression turned serious. "Your daughter's condition is getting worse. We can't delay the surgery any longer. You need to come up with the money as soon as possible. The longer this drags on, the greater the risk." "Okay. Thank you." I kept my head lowered, my chest aching with helplessness. We were still thirty thousand short. We had already sold everything we could sell. What else was left? … After the doctor left, I quietly stepped into the room. A faint smile lingered on my daughter's pale face as she slept. Ever since she got sick, she had been sleeping far more than usual. The door creaked open, and Nathan slipped inside as quietly as he could. I quickly put a finger to my lips, then took his hand and led him back outside. "Do you have any money?" I asked. The words came out before I could stop them. I was still thinking about what I had seen at the restaurant that afternoon. 'That man looked so much like him,' I thought. 'Maybe… Maybe he's a relative.' Nathan went still for a moment. Then, guilt slowly spread across his face. "I-I don't." That answer was no surprise. I didn't feel disappointment, only a profound, fatigue-filled exhaustion. I slumped against the wall, my gaze fixed on the floor, too weary to mask the despair etched across my face. My husband wrapped an arm around me. "This is all my fault. I'm useless. If I weren't crippled, Emma wouldn't have to go through this." I forced a faint smile, but the usual words of comfort wouldn't come. Still, I understood. Even with his injured leg, he always did everything he could. If our daughter hadn't gotten sick, maybe we really could have had a happy life. "I'll find another job tomorrow," he said with a bitter smile. "I'm still young. Working a few more jobs won't kill me." My lips parted, and I wanted to say, 'No. Your health is already poor enough. Don't strain yourself further.' But the moment I looked up, that side profile from the restaurant flashed through my mind again. My throat tightened so abruptly I couldn't get a single word out. I wondered, 'Can two people really look that much alike? Even from just one side?' I didn't know. I let my eyes fall shut, letting exhaustion roll over me like a heavy tide. "I'll stay with her tonight," I said softly. "You should go home and get some rest." Chapter 3 The Receipt in His Pocket Nathan dragged his injured leg down the hospital hallway, limping with every step. The bright white tile reflected his hunched figure. For a moment, regret washed over me. 'He's already struggling so much. If he takes another job, will it break him completely? But Emma… Emma really can't wait any longer.' I forced myself to harden my heart and turned to look at my sleeping daughter. Nathan and I had been together for five years. When we first met, he was working security at a shopping mall, and I was a cashier at a mart nearby. Every evening after work, I would see him there. He always wore the same easy grin, never appearing tired regardless of how long his shift was. He felt like sunlight breaking through a cloudy day. One day, I finally couldn't help asking, "What's your name?" "Nathan Blackwood," he replied, his face strangely tense, almost hopeful. We began going to the movies and sharing dinners like any typical couple. We rented a small apartment, moved in together, got married… and then Emma came into our lives. Everything had unfolded so naturally. We didn't have much money, but our days were warm and happy. I thought I was one of the lucky ones. In a world full of lies and disappointment, I had found someone who loved me sincerely. But good times never seemed to last. Emma fell seriously ill, and while Nathan was heading to his part-time job, he was hit by a car and broke his leg. Thankfully, the driver was kind. He paid Nathan's medical bills, compensated for missed work, and hired a caregiver for a while so I could focus on earning money. Still, the burden of our lives suddenly fell on my shoulders. I worked three jobs daily, barely covering Emma's first round of treatment. When Nathan finally returned home from the hospital, he limped through the door, guilt written all over his face. Then, he held out the compensation money. "The doctor said the damage is permanent," he said quietly. "This is… as good as it's going to get." I took the small amount of money from his hand; it was barely enough to cover a month of medical expenses. Due to his injury, he lost his job as a security guard. After staying home for a while, he found work at a factory assembly line. At least there, no one cared about his injured leg. Seeing the exhaustion on his face when he came home always felt like a knife twisting in my chest. When you loved someone, it often felt like you owed them more than you could give. I always believed Nathan was sincere and wholehearted. So why did life have to be so cruel to someone like him? The bright, lively young man I fell for had slowly been worn down by hardship, his eyes haunted by exhaustion. Lost in those heavy thoughts, I eventually drifted off to sleep. In my dream, the three of us were together—healthy, whole, and happy. … Early the next morning, Nathan was already there with breakfast. "You're awake. Come on, have a bite." I glanced at the time; it was already past six o'clock. As I reached for the container, I noticed a faint indentation around his wrist. It looked like a watch mark, but his wrist was bare. The doubts I had tried so hard to push down came rushing back. Then, all at once, I remembered something from a month earlier. While doing laundry, I found a receipt in the pocket of Nathan's worn-out jacket. It showed that someone had bought a necklace that same day for 800,000. Back then, Nathan laughed and explained, "I found it on the street. I figured whoever dropped it had to be rich, so I brought it home to take a look. Then, I forgot to mention it." I had believed him. After all, 800,000 was the kind of number our family could never even dream of touching. Now, I wasn't so sure, so that day, I quietly took leave from work and followed him. Chapter 4 I Followed Him At the hospital entrance, my husband climbed onto his battered secondhand scooter as if it were just another ordinary day. Not wanting to draw attention, I slipped into a taxi and quietly instructed the driver to shadow my husband from afar. … Not long after leaving the hospital, he went straight into an underground parking garage. A few minutes later, he emerged in a luxury car. Then, he drove to a hotel. I got out of the taxi and tried to follow him inside, but the doorman stopped me at the entrance. "This hotel is members-only, ma'am. If you're not a member, you can't go in." So, I had no choice but to wait outside. Truthfully, the instant he glided out of the garage in that gleaming car, window down and utterly relaxed, the truth hit me. Still, I clung to denial. … More than three hours later, he finally came out with the woman from the restaurant beside him, smiling sweetly as she nestled against his side. In that moment, everything became painfully clear. He was no longer hunched over, and he was not limping either. Dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, he looked polished, handsome, and full of life. I stared at his face—every familiar line, every angle I knew by heart—and a chill swept through my whole body. It was him. Nathan. My husband. A laugh escaped me, then another. I laughed at myself, at him, at the absurdity of a world where something like this could be real. He could don the mask of a struggling husband for his ailing daughter and me, only to shed it for extravagant feasts and opulent hotels with someone else. Did he not see that a single night's extravagance could have eased his own daughter's pain? I still couldn't stop myself from asking the security guard nearby, "Who is that?" He looked at me like I was stupid. "You don't know? That's the Blackwood family's only heir. Old-money real estate." I trailed them to a gleaming shopping mall, then slipped into a boutique glittering with luxury. I watched Charlotte select handbag after handbag, each worth a fortune. Nathan waved away the price tags, buying them all with a careless flick of his hand. Their bodyguards followed, arms overflowing with glossy shopping bags. I shadowed them all the way back to the parking garage. This time, they got into a different car—a Rolls-Royce. The bodyguards peeled off in different directions and quickly disappeared into the garage. Yet the car lingered, idling in the shadows. Curiosity tugged me forward, drawing me closer. That was when I heard Charlotte's voice drift through the slightly open window. "I... I can't keep being the other woman. I divorced my husband and came back for you. You have to give me an answer. Otherwise…" Her voice softened and turned breathless. "Otherwise, maybe we should just end this." Her unsteady breathing tangled with her words, and I stood frozen where I was. Then Nathan's voice followed, low and indulgent. "Baby, now's not the time for this. Trust me, I'm already bored with that woman. She's nowhere near as attractive as you are." "Then. why are you still playing house with her?" Charlotte shot back, jealousy sharpening her tone. He let out a soft laugh. "What do you know? That's the fun of marrying a poor woman like her. Watching her humble herself over a little money, watching her work herself half to death… You have no idea how entertaining that is." I could not bear to listen any longer. When I finally returned to myself, I was already home. … When Nathan finally came back, it was already 2 a.m. The light snapped on, and he stopped cold. I was sitting in the only armchair in our tiny 400-square-foot apartment. For a moment, surprise flashed across his face. Then, he recovered quickly and forced a smile. "I picked up an extra shift today. They paid cash." As he spoke, he pulled a crumpled hundred-dollar bill and a few smaller bills from his wrinkled jacket and held them out to me. I nearly laughed at the sight—just 120 dollars. There was likely not a single transaction that small on any of his real accounts. Who knew what lengths he went to, breaking larger bills just to keep up the lie? "What's wrong?" he asked when I didn't take the money. I didn't answer; I just looked at him. We had lived together for five years. I knew every line of his face, every expression, every glance. Even now, I still couldn't fully believe he had lied to me. So, I asked him one last time, "Do you have any money? Emma's treatment is only thirty thousand short." He hesitated for a moment. "I… I'll keep trying." The same answer as always. Silence settled over the room. He seemed to think I was upset because I was worried about our daughter, so he started blaming himself all over again. I cut him off. "Let's get divorced." He froze, shock written all over his face, as if the idea had never once crossed his mind. "I really will work hard and make more money. Are you divorcing me over money?" With every word, he twisted the blame until I sounded like the cruel one. My throat tightened so badly it hurt. I fought back the tears before I finally forced the words out, "Your little game of pretending to be poor should be over by now, Mr. Blackwood." I lifted my eyes and looked straight at him. "Unfortunately, I don't want to keep playing along." My voice was raw as I added, "People like us can't afford the kinds of games you play."