“If it’s just a piece of property, Jason, then I’m sure you won’t mind hearing the truth,” I said, stepping closer to him, looking him dead in the eye. “I don’t own that apartment anymore.”
The color drained from his face instantly. “What do you mean you don’t own it?

Of course you do.”
“Three months ago, my mother forced me to sign the deed over to her,” I stated, watching his expression shift from arrogance to absolute panic.

“It belongs entirely to her. I don’t own a single square inch of it. So if your mother hired movers for next month, she might want to cancel them. Because my mom isn’t going anywhere, and she certainly isn’t letting Eleanor live there for free.”

Jason stared at me, his jaw dropping. The sweet, loving man I thought I had married vanished, replaced by someone entirely unrecognizable. “You… you did what?” he stammered, his voice rising in anger. “Are you insane?! That apartment was supposed to secure our financial future! My mother already sold her house! We already put down deposits based on the equity of that place!”
The truth was finally out. He hadn’t married me for love. He had married me for a real estate portfolio.

“The wedding is over, Jason,” I whispered, pulling the heavy diamond ring off my finger and dropping it onto the table between us. I walked out of the room, leaving him standing there in his tuxedo, ruined by his own greed.

I walked right past Eleanor, right past the 200 confused guests, and took my mother’s hand as we left the venue together. My marriage lasted exactly two hours, but thanks to my mom, my future was still entirely my own.