Trash for Her Debts

That night, lying in bed, I couldn’t sleep again.

I kept thinking about the man the Live Comment Feed mentioned: Xavier.

Curiosity got the better of me.

So the next morning, when Alisha left for work as usual, I followed her. She didn’t drive that day. Instead, she rode a bike.

Watching her long legs awkwardly fold onto that tiny seat, my heart cracked. Was she really cutting costs down to gas money now?

I threw on sunglasses and a mask, fully disguised, and grabbed another bike, trailing her from a distance.

By the end of it, my legs felt like they were about to fall off. Someone like me, who wouldn’t step out without a luxury car, was now pedaling like I was in the Tour de France.

Finally, she stopped in front of a place that looked painfully cheap. A small, no-frills burrito stall.

Not long after, a man in business attire walked over. Short hair. Sharp. Efficient. He held a stack of documents in his hand.

It was Xavier.

The comments immediately exploded.

[A date at a budget eatery. Yep, that’s our practical hero.]

[They look perfect together! Please promise me you’ll be happy forever!]

[Isn’t this unfair to Kayden? They’re not even divorced yet.]

[That freeloader abandoning Alisha is only a matter of time. Stop putting moral pressure on the real leads.]

[Funny how it’s always men fighting over a woman, but no one questions the woman herself.]

I hid behind a utility pole, watching as they sat across from each other.

Alisha ordered a breakfast burrito. Xavier got fish tacos. They ate while going over the documents, both of them serious.

I couldn’t hear what they were saying.

All I saw was Xavier pointing at the papers from time to time, and Alisha nodding, her brows still tightly drawn.

Then suddenly, Xavier smiled. It was the kind of smile that said he had everything under control.

For the first time, Alisha’s expression softened. The tension in her face eased, and there was something new in her eyes when she looked at him—admiration.

The comments were right. They really did look good together.

Something bitter crept up my throat. My chest ached like it was being weighed down.

I wanted to rush out and demand answers. I wanted to ask her if she’d betrayed me. I yearned to know if she thought I was useless—just dead weight dragging her down…

However, I didn’t want to make a scene, and I didn’t want to drag an uninvolved man into the mess of my marriage.

I turned to leave and accidentally knocked over a nearby trash can.

Clang!

The loud crash made both of them turn at the same time.

Our eyes met.

The burrito wrapper slipped from Alisha’s hand and dropped lazily to the ground.

"Kayden?"

The embarrassment of being caught hit me all at once. I wanted to disappear into the pavement. Nevertheless, I straightened up anyway, forcing a calm smile.

"What a coincidence, babe. You two… talking business?"

Xavier’s expression flickered when he saw me. Instinctively, he moved the documents behind his back, like he didn’t want me to see them.

The comments surged again.

[What’s he hiding? Divorce papers, obviously!]

[Or asset transfer documents! Trying to make sure Kayden gets nothing!]

[Guess Kayden finally gets it. He’s not even allowed to see the paperwork.]

Alisha stood up and walked straight toward me. She was still wearing that cheap $2 T-shirt, but in that moment, her presence was overwhelming.

"Why are you here?"

Her gaze dropped to the bike beside me, which I hadn’t even bothered to lock properly, and her brows furrowed again.

"I… I came out to experience real life!" I blurted, grasping for an excuse to cover how pathetic I looked.

"Experiencing life involves digging through trash?" Alisha pointed at the overturned garbage can by my feet. A few empty plastic bottles had rolled out onto the ground.

An idea hit me.

If I was already this deep in, I might as well commit. There was no way I was admitting I’d followed her because I felt insecure.

There was no chance of that. My pride mattered more than anything.

"Yeah! I’m collecting bottles! So what if I am? I’m not stealing. I’m doing this for the family!"

The more I talked, the more frustrated I felt, my voice rising as I squared my shoulders. "Alisha, if you think I’m embarrassing, just say it! Once your debts are paid off, I won’t owe you anything either. We’ll have a clean divorce!"

The diners around us had all stopped eating, staring at the scene, as if they’d just stumbled into some high-society drama.

Alisha looked even more stunned, her brows lifting in disbelief. "What are you talking about? What debts?"

Even now, she was still hiding it from me. Anger flared in my chest.

"Alisha, we’ve been married for years. Can’t you just be honest with me? Or do you really think I’m the kind of man who can only enjoy the good times, but won’t stand by you when things get hard?"

"You’re not like that at all!" she said quickly, flustered. "Why are you suddenly saying all this?"

"If that’s true, then why didn’t you tell me about your bankruptcy?"

"Whose bankruptcy?"

"Yours!"

"Mine?"

"Yes!" My face flushed red as my voice rose again.

God, this woman was stubborn. So what if she’d gone bankrupt? What was the big deal? Why did she have to carry everything alone like this?

"The other day, that call from Mr. Shaw came to the house. He said your company was restructuring its assets, and you don’t have much left! Lately, you’ve been even more frugal than before!

"You came here today to deal with the assets, didn’t you? The documents he’s holding… That’s the proof!"

I let it all out in one breath, panting as I tried to steady myself.

Only then did I realize that it had gone completely silent.

Every single person in the place was staring at me.

Especially Alisha.

Her mouth hung slightly open, not a single word coming out. The confusion in her eyes was so obvious it almost spilled over.

Wait. Why did she look even more lost than I was?

Xavier stepped forward and carefully held out the documents in his hand.

"Um… Mr. Day, I think you’ve misunderstood. This is the ownership agreement for a private island. Ms. West bought it as a birthday gift for you."