I opened my laptop and logged into our joint banking portal.

My heart skipped a beat as the page loaded.

There was a pending charge from a local luxury car dealership.

A massive holding deposit.

They were already buying a car on credit.

Then, my phone lit up on the counter, vibrating violently against the wood.

I picked up the phone.

It was an automated alert from our joint credit card company.

A charge of four thousand dollars at a boutique hotel in the city had just been approved.

Seconds later, another alert popped up on the screen.

Six thousand dollars at a designer jewelry store on Fifth Avenue.

My stomach twisted, but I forced myself to take a deep, steadying breath.

They were spending money they did not have yet, completely confident in the $7.3 million payout.

I took screenshots of every single notification that flashed across my screen.

I saved the pending transaction records from the luxury car dealership.

The paper trail was writing itself, and they were handing me the pen.

The next morning, the sun rose gray and cold behind a thick blanket of winter clouds.