Month: March 2025

Katherine’s simple life with Michael shattered when he filed for divorce after her grandfather’s death, only to reappear later sporting a luxury car and designer clothes. To make matters worse, he callously threw a $100 bill at her. But it was the smiley face on that bill that would expose a shocking truth. My life changed in a supermarket parking lot, of all places. But I should back up a bit. My divorce from Michael had been finalized about a month ago. It had been his choice entirely and completely out of the blue. A small building parking lot | Source: Pexels I didn’t fight it. What was the point? Sometimes people just fall out of love. So I let him go, and we hadn’t seen each other since. But on a random weekday, I was picking up cat food for my clinic’s newest rescue when a flash of white caught my eye. I turned to stare out of the window to the parking lot and saw a pristine sports car between two faded sedans. It was a new model, and I was trying to remember what brand the logo represented when the driver’s door swung open, and my heart stopped. A white sports car | Source: Pexels Michael stepped out, but it wasn’t the Michael I remembered. My husband had worn khakis from clearance racks and whatever T-shirt he could find in his closet. But more often than not, he was in his grocery store cashier uniform. That had been his job for the longest time. He worked six days a week and earned slightly more than minimum wage. A man in a red uniform working as a cashier in a grocery store | Source: Midjourney But my now ex-husband was wearing a designer suit that probably cost more than our old apartment’s rent. A Rolex glinted on his wrist, and his hair was expertly styled, not the messy mop he used to have. I don’t know what propelled me, but I left my cart behind and walked outside. “Michael?” His name slipped out as I got closer to his car. He turned, and for a split second, I caught something in his eyes. But it vanished instantly, replaced by cold disdain. A man wearing a nice suit with a cold expression, standing in front of a white sports car in a parking lot | Source: Midjourney I forced myself to be civil. After all, we’d spent 12 years together. “Hey! Wow, congrats! This must be the car you’ve always dreamed about. Looks like you’re doing really well! Do you get a new job?” “Katherine, we’re not together anymore. This is really not your business,” he responded, fixing his hair while walking past me. “Oh, wait,” he stopped at the grocery store entrance and reached into his pocket. “You can have this. Think of it as my parting gift.” A $100 bill flew in the air and fell on the asphalt right at my feet. Was he insane? I wasn’t a beggar. Throughout our entire relationship, I’d earned more. A $100 bill on the floor with a smiley face drawn on it | Source: Unsplash After all, I was a veterinarian, and he was a cashier. I’d never minded; we were high school sweethearts, and money wasn’t supposed to matter. I had been happy in our little apartment… until he asked for a divorce. Who was this person? “Really?” I asked, raising my voice. “This is who you are now?” A woman standing in a grocery store parking lot, frowning | Source: Midjourney Michael just smirked and went into the store. I was about to stomp to my car, but something made me pick up the bill on the asphalt. And my eyes immediately landed on a small smiley face below the 100. It brought back a memory of the last conversation I had with Grandpa. The doctors had already said he didn’t have much time left after a serious diagnosis. I went to his house, intent on spending quality time with him, but he ushered me into his home office. A man sitting at an office desk, smiling, with books on the table | Source: Pexels After talking about some lighthearted matters for a while, he opened his desk’s bottom drawer. “Kat, please take this,” he said, unearthing stack after stack of cash. There must have been around $200,000 in one-hundred-dollar bills. “This is for your future. You can open your own veterinary clinic or a rescue, or use it for a proper house. I want to see you happy and secure.” I smiled. “Grandpa, I don’t need any of this,” I told him. “I can think of several charities that do.” A woman sitting on a chair in a home office with soft white walls | Source: Midjourney “Kat, please, listen,” he begged me. But I shook my head and smiled wider. I stood, grabbing one of the bills and a pen from his holder. I drew a little smile and handed the money over. “Don’t be sad, Grandpa, and don’t worry about me. I make more than enough. I am happy. Now, all I want is to spend the afternoon with you. Let’s go to the garden.” He sighed and chuckled. Then we went outside. I forgot about the cash while we drank iced tea and looked at the birds and squirrels among the rustling tree leaves. A squirrel in a garden | Source: Pexels I lost him two weeks later, and as far as I knew, Grandpa had given all his money and assets to my other relatives and several charities. I truly wanted nothing. A month after that, Michael left me, and at that moment, as I stared at the bill with a smiley face, my stomach dropped. Harrison’s downtown office was similar to my grandfather’s, but it was in an intimidating building in the fanciest area, with windows overlooking the city skyline. A modern building | Source: Unsplash He was my grandfather’s best friend and oldest business partner. Despite being in his 70s, Harrison refused to retire. Family photos covered his desk, including one of Grandpa and him fishing together. “Katherine, what brings you here?” he asked, his kind eyes crinkling with concern as he swiveled on his leather chair. “Sir, I need to ask you something. Did Grandpa mention who he was giving money to?” A woman sitting on a chair in a professional office, looking worried and nervous | Source: Midjourney He shifted in his leather chair, scratching his chin. “He told me you weren’t interested in money. What makes you ask about that now? Are you in trouble? How much do you need?” I raised my hands, shaking my head. “No, it’s nothing like that,” I began and reached into my pocket for the $100 bill. “I’m asking because I just saw Michael, my ex, driving a sports car and wearing clothes worth more than our old rent. He threw this at me. I drew that smiley face on the stack of cash Grandpa offered me.” A stack of cash with a $100 bill on top, featuring a smiley face | Source: Pexels Harrison put on his reading glasses on and his frown deepened as he stared at the bill. “Oh, Katherine,” he sighed, taking off his glasses. “I think your grandfather may have given Michael the money. He mentioned it in passing. I advised him against it, but he must have done it. He thought it would make your life better.” I sat back on my chair, sighing. “That’s why he divorced me right after Grandpa died. I should’ve realized. That snake.” A woman leaning her cheek on her hand, looking upset | Source: Midjourney Harrison gave me back the bill, and I thanked him for his time. But before I could exit his office, he asked, “Do you want to do something about it?” I turned to face him again. “What do you mean?” “Do you want him to keep that money or…” he trailed off, raising his eyebrows. When I smiled, he gave me a card. It was for a lawyer at a firm located in the next building over. “Logan is the best man for this job.” A contact card on a desk that reads “Logan” | Source: Midjourney Logan’s assistant settled me in his office and offered me tea. A few minutes later, Logan walked in, undeniably confident, tall, and handsome. “I just got off the phone with Harrison. So your ex took advantage of your grandfather’s good intentions,” he began, sitting down and taking some notes. “And conveniently asked for a divorce a month later. Classic fraud by deception.” I nodded and answered all of the following questions he gave me to the best of my knowledge. A man in an expensive suit leaning his hand on a mahogany desk with a small smile, windows behind him showing the skyline | Source: Midjourney “Okay,” I asked after telling him everything, swallowing thickly. “What can I do about it now? I’m sure he has already spent a lot of the money.” Logan stood and looked out his window for a second before meeting my gaze again. “I’d say let’s pay him a visit before we go into any legalities.” “Now? Why?” “Because the man Harrison just described is a coward,” Logan replied, his eyes narrowing but with pleasure. “It’s exactly the kind of man that will fold with just a little… coercion.” A man in an expensive suit standing in front of a mahogany desk, smirking | Source: Midjourney “Well, I do have his address,” I said, grinning. “He had me send him the rest of his belongings.” “Good,” Logan smirked and gestured for the door. “Let’s go.” Michael’s new apartment complex rose twenty stories into the sky. The lobby had marble floors and a doorman who eyed Logan’s expensive suit with approval and my modest clothes with suspicion. Lobby of a building with marble floors | Source: Unsplash The silent elevator ride gave me time to think. Michael was an idiot; he must have spent half the money already and wouldn’t be able to afford this place for much longer. “Ready?” Logan asked when the elevator doors opened, distracting me from my thoughts. I nodded as we walked toward Michael’s apartment, and he rang the bell. The door opened a minute later to reveal my ex in silk pajamas. His eyes widened when he saw me, then narrowed when they landed on Logan. A man in black silk pajamas standing outside an apartment door, frowning in confusion | Source: Midjourney “Who’s this?” Michael asked, trying to sound tough but his voice cracked slightly. “I’m Miss Katherine’s attorney,” Logan’s smile was razor-sharp. “May we come in?” “No,” Michael answered, his eyes darting between us. “Very well,” Logan continued without missing a beat. “It has come to our attention that you filed for divorce from my client a short while after receiving a significant amount of money from her grandfather. Isn’t that right?” A man signing divorce papers | Source: Unsplash “No!” Michael said, his nostrils flaring. “This is my money, and it had nothing to do with the divorce.” “Well, you’ll have to prove that in court soon,” Logan stated calmly. “We’ll sue you for it, and we already have Katherine’s grandfather’s best friend who will testify to having a conversation with him about giving you the money and why. We’ll also subpoena your bank records, text messages, and every conversation you had. If there’s even a hint of deception, you’ll lose everything.” Bank documents | Source: Pexels “You can’t prove anything,” my ex-husband said and puffed up his chest before looking into my eyes. “I’ll get a lawyer, too.” “Sure,” Logan shrugged. “But legal fees add up fast. The rent in this place, the car you bought, and the clothes you’re wearing must have already put a serious dent in what you received. Are you willing to take a gamble on the rest or worse, owe hundreds of thousands in legal fees?” A man opening an empty wallet | Source: Unsplash I watched Michael’s face as reality all sank in. “You really planned this, didn’t you?” I asked quietly. “Taking the money and leaving me? You lied to my dying grandfather.” Michael wouldn’t meet my eyes, and after another tense minute, his shoulders slumped. “Fine,” he whispered. “I’ll sell everything. You’ll get your money back.” A man in silk pajamas standing in front of an apartment door, looking sad | Source: Midjourney “All of it,” Logan said, urging me away from Michael now that our business seemed settled. We reached the elevator, and I saw him turn back to my ex, who was still standing in his apartment doorway with his mouth set in a hard line. “We’ll draw up a payment plan for anything you can’t return… immediately,” Logan added with a small smirk. A man in front of an elevator, looking back with a smirk and one finger raised | Source: Midjourney When we entered the elevator, Michael called out, “Kat, I…” “Save it. I hope it was worth it,” I said as the metal doors closed. A year later, I used the money Michael returned to open a veterinary clinic in Grandpa’s honor. Harrison came to the opening with his dog and told me Grandpa would be proud. A veterinary clinic | Source: Unsplash A week or so after the opening, Logan stopped by and asked me to dinner… Two years later, I was marrying him. I knew that no one would ever be able to mess with me with a man like him by my side. And Logan doesn’t know this, but I keep a particular smiley $100 bill hidden in my wallet. It’s one of my treasures, not only because it reminds me of Grandpa, but because it led me to the love of my life. This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.

- by bunhak168 - Leave a Comment

Katherine’s simple life with Michael shattered when he filed for divorce after her grandfather’s death, only to reappear later sporting a luxury car and designer clothes. To make matters worse, …

Katherine’s simple life with Michael shattered when he filed for divorce after her grandfather’s death, only to reappear later sporting a luxury car and designer clothes. To make matters worse, he callously threw a $100 bill at her. But it was the smiley face on that bill that would expose a shocking truth. My life changed in a supermarket parking lot, of all places. But I should back up a bit. My divorce from Michael had been finalized about a month ago. It had been his choice entirely and completely out of the blue. A small building parking lot | Source: Pexels I didn’t fight it. What was the point? Sometimes people just fall out of love. So I let him go, and we hadn’t seen each other since. But on a random weekday, I was picking up cat food for my clinic’s newest rescue when a flash of white caught my eye. I turned to stare out of the window to the parking lot and saw a pristine sports car between two faded sedans. It was a new model, and I was trying to remember what brand the logo represented when the driver’s door swung open, and my heart stopped. A white sports car | Source: Pexels Michael stepped out, but it wasn’t the Michael I remembered. My husband had worn khakis from clearance racks and whatever T-shirt he could find in his closet. But more often than not, he was in his grocery store cashier uniform. That had been his job for the longest time. He worked six days a week and earned slightly more than minimum wage. A man in a red uniform working as a cashier in a grocery store | Source: Midjourney But my now ex-husband was wearing a designer suit that probably cost more than our old apartment’s rent. A Rolex glinted on his wrist, and his hair was expertly styled, not the messy mop he used to have. I don’t know what propelled me, but I left my cart behind and walked outside. “Michael?” His name slipped out as I got closer to his car. He turned, and for a split second, I caught something in his eyes. But it vanished instantly, replaced by cold disdain. A man wearing a nice suit with a cold expression, standing in front of a white sports car in a parking lot | Source: Midjourney I forced myself to be civil. After all, we’d spent 12 years together. “Hey! Wow, congrats! This must be the car you’ve always dreamed about. Looks like you’re doing really well! Do you get a new job?” “Katherine, we’re not together anymore. This is really not your business,” he responded, fixing his hair while walking past me. “Oh, wait,” he stopped at the grocery store entrance and reached into his pocket. “You can have this. Think of it as my parting gift.” A $100 bill flew in the air and fell on the asphalt right at my feet. Was he insane? I wasn’t a beggar. Throughout our entire relationship, I’d earned more. A $100 bill on the floor with a smiley face drawn on it | Source: Unsplash After all, I was a veterinarian, and he was a cashier. I’d never minded; we were high school sweethearts, and money wasn’t supposed to matter. I had been happy in our little apartment… until he asked for a divorce. Who was this person? “Really?” I asked, raising my voice. “This is who you are now?” A woman standing in a grocery store parking lot, frowning | Source: Midjourney Michael just smirked and went into the store. I was about to stomp to my car, but something made me pick up the bill on the asphalt. And my eyes immediately landed on a small smiley face below the 100. It brought back a memory of the last conversation I had with Grandpa. The doctors had already said he didn’t have much time left after a serious diagnosis. I went to his house, intent on spending quality time with him, but he ushered me into his home office. A man sitting at an office desk, smiling, with books on the table | Source: Pexels After talking about some lighthearted matters for a while, he opened his desk’s bottom drawer. “Kat, please take this,” he said, unearthing stack after stack of cash. There must have been around $200,000 in one-hundred-dollar bills. “This is for your future. You can open your own veterinary clinic or a rescue, or use it for a proper house. I want to see you happy and secure.” I smiled. “Grandpa, I don’t need any of this,” I told him. “I can think of several charities that do.” A woman sitting on a chair in a home office with soft white walls | Source: Midjourney “Kat, please, listen,” he begged me. But I shook my head and smiled wider. I stood, grabbing one of the bills and a pen from his holder. I drew a little smile and handed the money over. “Don’t be sad, Grandpa, and don’t worry about me. I make more than enough. I am happy. Now, all I want is to spend the afternoon with you. Let’s go to the garden.” He sighed and chuckled. Then we went outside. I forgot about the cash while we drank iced tea and looked at the birds and squirrels among the rustling tree leaves. A squirrel in a garden | Source: Pexels I lost him two weeks later, and as far as I knew, Grandpa had given all his money and assets to my other relatives and several charities. I truly wanted nothing. A month after that, Michael left me, and at that moment, as I stared at the bill with a smiley face, my stomach dropped. Harrison’s downtown office was similar to my grandfather’s, but it was in an intimidating building in the fanciest area, with windows overlooking the city skyline. A modern building | Source: Unsplash He was my grandfather’s best friend and oldest business partner. Despite being in his 70s, Harrison refused to retire. Family photos covered his desk, including one of Grandpa and him fishing together. “Katherine, what brings you here?” he asked, his kind eyes crinkling with concern as he swiveled on his leather chair. “Sir, I need to ask you something. Did Grandpa mention who he was giving money to?” A woman sitting on a chair in a professional office, looking worried and nervous | Source: Midjourney He shifted in his leather chair, scratching his chin. “He told me you weren’t interested in money. What makes you ask about that now? Are you in trouble? How much do you need?” I raised my hands, shaking my head. “No, it’s nothing like that,” I began and reached into my pocket for the $100 bill. “I’m asking because I just saw Michael, my ex, driving a sports car and wearing clothes worth more than our old rent. He threw this at me. I drew that smiley face on the stack of cash Grandpa offered me.” A stack of cash with a $100 bill on top, featuring a smiley face | Source: Pexels Harrison put on his reading glasses on and his frown deepened as he stared at the bill. “Oh, Katherine,” he sighed, taking off his glasses. “I think your grandfather may have given Michael the money. He mentioned it in passing. I advised him against it, but he must have done it. He thought it would make your life better.” I sat back on my chair, sighing. “That’s why he divorced me right after Grandpa died. I should’ve realized. That snake.” A woman leaning her cheek on her hand, looking upset | Source: Midjourney Harrison gave me back the bill, and I thanked him for his time. But before I could exit his office, he asked, “Do you want to do something about it?” I turned to face him again. “What do you mean?” “Do you want him to keep that money or…” he trailed off, raising his eyebrows. When I smiled, he gave me a card. It was for a lawyer at a firm located in the next building over. “Logan is the best man for this job.” A contact card on a desk that reads “Logan” | Source: Midjourney Logan’s assistant settled me in his office and offered me tea. A few minutes later, Logan walked in, undeniably confident, tall, and handsome. “I just got off the phone with Harrison. So your ex took advantage of your grandfather’s good intentions,” he began, sitting down and taking some notes. “And conveniently asked for a divorce a month later. Classic fraud by deception.” I nodded and answered all of the following questions he gave me to the best of my knowledge. A man in an expensive suit leaning his hand on a mahogany desk with a small smile, windows behind him showing the skyline | Source: Midjourney “Okay,” I asked after telling him everything, swallowing thickly. “What can I do about it now? I’m sure he has already spent a lot of the money.” Logan stood and looked out his window for a second before meeting my gaze again. “I’d say let’s pay him a visit before we go into any legalities.” “Now? Why?” “Because the man Harrison just described is a coward,” Logan replied, his eyes narrowing but with pleasure. “It’s exactly the kind of man that will fold with just a little… coercion.” A man in an expensive suit standing in front of a mahogany desk, smirking | Source: Midjourney “Well, I do have his address,” I said, grinning. “He had me send him the rest of his belongings.” “Good,” Logan smirked and gestured for the door. “Let’s go.” Michael’s new apartment complex rose twenty stories into the sky. The lobby had marble floors and a doorman who eyed Logan’s expensive suit with approval and my modest clothes with suspicion. Lobby of a building with marble floors | Source: Unsplash The silent elevator ride gave me time to think. Michael was an idiot; he must have spent half the money already and wouldn’t be able to afford this place for much longer. “Ready?” Logan asked when the elevator doors opened, distracting me from my thoughts. I nodded as we walked toward Michael’s apartment, and he rang the bell. The door opened a minute later to reveal my ex in silk pajamas. His eyes widened when he saw me, then narrowed when they landed on Logan. A man in black silk pajamas standing outside an apartment door, frowning in confusion | Source: Midjourney “Who’s this?” Michael asked, trying to sound tough but his voice cracked slightly. “I’m Miss Katherine’s attorney,” Logan’s smile was razor-sharp. “May we come in?” “No,” Michael answered, his eyes darting between us. “Very well,” Logan continued without missing a beat. “It has come to our attention that you filed for divorce from my client a short while after receiving a significant amount of money from her grandfather. Isn’t that right?” A man signing divorce papers | Source: Unsplash “No!” Michael said, his nostrils flaring. “This is my money, and it had nothing to do with the divorce.” “Well, you’ll have to prove that in court soon,” Logan stated calmly. “We’ll sue you for it, and we already have Katherine’s grandfather’s best friend who will testify to having a conversation with him about giving you the money and why. We’ll also subpoena your bank records, text messages, and every conversation you had. If there’s even a hint of deception, you’ll lose everything.” Bank documents | Source: Pexels “You can’t prove anything,” my ex-husband said and puffed up his chest before looking into my eyes. “I’ll get a lawyer, too.” “Sure,” Logan shrugged. “But legal fees add up fast. The rent in this place, the car you bought, and the clothes you’re wearing must have already put a serious dent in what you received. Are you willing to take a gamble on the rest or worse, owe hundreds of thousands in legal fees?” A man opening an empty wallet | Source: Unsplash I watched Michael’s face as reality all sank in. “You really planned this, didn’t you?” I asked quietly. “Taking the money and leaving me? You lied to my dying grandfather.” Michael wouldn’t meet my eyes, and after another tense minute, his shoulders slumped. “Fine,” he whispered. “I’ll sell everything. You’ll get your money back.” A man in silk pajamas standing in front of an apartment door, looking sad | Source: Midjourney “All of it,” Logan said, urging me away from Michael now that our business seemed settled. We reached the elevator, and I saw him turn back to my ex, who was still standing in his apartment doorway with his mouth set in a hard line. “We’ll draw up a payment plan for anything you can’t return… immediately,” Logan added with a small smirk. A man in front of an elevator, looking back with a smirk and one finger raised | Source: Midjourney When we entered the elevator, Michael called out, “Kat, I…” “Save it. I hope it was worth it,” I said as the metal doors closed. A year later, I used the money Michael returned to open a veterinary clinic in Grandpa’s honor. Harrison came to the opening with his dog and told me Grandpa would be proud. A veterinary clinic | Source: Unsplash A week or so after the opening, Logan stopped by and asked me to dinner… Two years later, I was marrying him. I knew that no one would ever be able to mess with me with a man like him by my side. And Logan doesn’t know this, but I keep a particular smiley $100 bill hidden in my wallet. It’s one of my treasures, not only because it reminds me of Grandpa, but because it led me to the love of my life. This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher. Read More

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Two astronauts remained aboard the space station far longer than planned after unexpected problems disrupted their mission. Behind-the-scenes decisions about how and when to bring them home sparked widespread attention. …

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TOKYO (KABC) — Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw five strong innings, Shohei Ohtani had two hits and scored twice, and the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 4-1 …

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I Thought My Strict Father Took the Neighbor’s Son Fishing Just to Spite Me, but the Truth Was Far More Tragic — Story of the Day

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I Returning home for the summer, Mason expected the usual tension with his distant father. But when he spotted his dad teaching the neighbor’s kid about fishing, something unexpected stirred—a …

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Jeanne believed she had a happy, stable marriage, but John’s unexplained visits to his brother’s house made her uneasy. One Sunday, a phone call from her sister-in-law revealed a shocking …

My Husband Had Been Visiting His Brother’s House Daily for 6 Months — When My SIL Called Me Last Sunday, I Was Shocked Read More