He Counted Every Cent, Except the Cost of Losing Me - Chapter 9: Chapter 9
You are reading He Counted Every Cent, Except the Cost of Losing Me, Chapter 9: Chapter 9. Read more chapters of He Counted Every Cent, Except the Cost of Losing Me.
Seven years ago, I first met Grayson at a stray pet adoption event.
He was a volunteer, I was part of the planning team.
That day the weather forecast was wrong, and it suddenly started raining near the end of the event.
Seeing so many animals scattering to escape the rain, I couldn't handle it all alone and had to rush into the rain to gather the cats and dogs one by one.
Just when I was wishing I had more hands, Grayson appeared and helped me carry all the stranded animals indoors.
When it was all over, I saw him soaked like a drowned rat and couldn't help laughing.
That beautiful first meeting left me with a great first impression of Grayson.
When we met again, he surprised me by confessing his feelings, and we naturally got together.
Until a year later, when he proposed to me.
Everything felt so natural and right.
But after we got our marriage license, during our first meal as a married couple, he suddenly brought up "splitting everything fifty-fifty."
Even though he gave it a lot of buildup, saying it was a common lifestyle among young people.
But I wasn't stupid.
I could tell the difference between whether the fifty-fifty split was about maintaining fairness or avoiding responsibility.
But I didn't refuse.
Not for any other reason than to prove to him that he was wrong—I wasn't after his money.
I just never expected him to implement the fifty-fifty system so ruthlessly...
"Do you know when I made up my mind to leave you?"
I suddenly spoke, breaking the current silence.
He turned to look at me but didn't speak.
"It was when I was in agony from acute appendicitis, wanting to bang my head against the wall, and you coldly calculated whether you should help pay the out-of-pocket portion of my medical bills."
Grayson rushed to explain:
"I didn't mean it that way. I was just—"
I interrupted him coldly: "Yeah, you were just too used to splitting everything."
I could certainly understand that.
After all, we'd been living this way for seven years.
"So I suddenly felt terrified. If I got pregnant, would you split those costs with me too? From trying to conceive, to every prenatal appointment during pregnancy, to all the expenses after the baby was born—would you make me split all of that too?"
I couldn't imagine how I'd handle that situation.
Without any hesitation, Grayson protested: "Of course not."
I shook my head, completely certain: "Yes, you would."
Grayson's eyes reddened, looking both frantic and wronged.
"Honey, why are you using things that haven't even happened to decide what I'd choose? That's not fair!"
I replied calmly:
"Because you love yourself most of all. You're already used to it—used to having the fifty-fifty mentality carved into your bones, used to calculating everything clearly with me, used to constantly thinking about splitting costs with me."
Grayson clenched his fists.
After a long silence, he spoke.
"I understand. I agree to the divorce. Send me the time after you schedule it."
"Okay."
I nodded and stood up from the floor.
Before I left, he suddenly said: "Tessa, I really do love you."
This time, I didn't immediately deny it.
A week later, Grayson and I came out from the courthouse.
"Come on, let's go grab one more meal together." He smiled at me, as beautiful as when we first met.
I shook my head with a light laugh: "No thanks, I can't afford to split it."
He was stunned for a few seconds, then burst out laughing.
"Haha, this time I definitely wouldn't make you split it. I split my wife right out of my life—I'll never split costs with anyone again."
I frowned thoughtfully: "Well, that depends on the situation. Sometimes you still need to split things."
A few days later, Grayson sent me a photo from his trip to Ice-land.
This time, I didn't reply.
Later, mutual friends heard about our divorce and came to confirm it with me.
I didn't hide it, just said we divorced due to incompatible personalities.
They felt very sorry: "I thought couples like you who split everything fifty-fifty had the most unbreakable partnership in marriage."
Hearing this, I was silent for a long time.
"Love isn't a partnership where 'everyone manages their own'—it's a bond where 'you're part of me and I'm part of you.'"
He was a volunteer, I was part of the planning team.
That day the weather forecast was wrong, and it suddenly started raining near the end of the event.
Seeing so many animals scattering to escape the rain, I couldn't handle it all alone and had to rush into the rain to gather the cats and dogs one by one.
Just when I was wishing I had more hands, Grayson appeared and helped me carry all the stranded animals indoors.
When it was all over, I saw him soaked like a drowned rat and couldn't help laughing.
That beautiful first meeting left me with a great first impression of Grayson.
When we met again, he surprised me by confessing his feelings, and we naturally got together.
Until a year later, when he proposed to me.
Everything felt so natural and right.
But after we got our marriage license, during our first meal as a married couple, he suddenly brought up "splitting everything fifty-fifty."
Even though he gave it a lot of buildup, saying it was a common lifestyle among young people.
But I wasn't stupid.
I could tell the difference between whether the fifty-fifty split was about maintaining fairness or avoiding responsibility.
But I didn't refuse.
Not for any other reason than to prove to him that he was wrong—I wasn't after his money.
I just never expected him to implement the fifty-fifty system so ruthlessly...
"Do you know when I made up my mind to leave you?"
I suddenly spoke, breaking the current silence.
He turned to look at me but didn't speak.
"It was when I was in agony from acute appendicitis, wanting to bang my head against the wall, and you coldly calculated whether you should help pay the out-of-pocket portion of my medical bills."
Grayson rushed to explain:
"I didn't mean it that way. I was just—"
I interrupted him coldly: "Yeah, you were just too used to splitting everything."
I could certainly understand that.
After all, we'd been living this way for seven years.
"So I suddenly felt terrified. If I got pregnant, would you split those costs with me too? From trying to conceive, to every prenatal appointment during pregnancy, to all the expenses after the baby was born—would you make me split all of that too?"
I couldn't imagine how I'd handle that situation.
Without any hesitation, Grayson protested: "Of course not."
I shook my head, completely certain: "Yes, you would."
Grayson's eyes reddened, looking both frantic and wronged.
"Honey, why are you using things that haven't even happened to decide what I'd choose? That's not fair!"
I replied calmly:
"Because you love yourself most of all. You're already used to it—used to having the fifty-fifty mentality carved into your bones, used to calculating everything clearly with me, used to constantly thinking about splitting costs with me."
Grayson clenched his fists.
After a long silence, he spoke.
"I understand. I agree to the divorce. Send me the time after you schedule it."
"Okay."
I nodded and stood up from the floor.
Before I left, he suddenly said: "Tessa, I really do love you."
This time, I didn't immediately deny it.
A week later, Grayson and I came out from the courthouse.
"Come on, let's go grab one more meal together." He smiled at me, as beautiful as when we first met.
I shook my head with a light laugh: "No thanks, I can't afford to split it."
He was stunned for a few seconds, then burst out laughing.
"Haha, this time I definitely wouldn't make you split it. I split my wife right out of my life—I'll never split costs with anyone again."
I frowned thoughtfully: "Well, that depends on the situation. Sometimes you still need to split things."
A few days later, Grayson sent me a photo from his trip to Ice-land.
This time, I didn't reply.
Later, mutual friends heard about our divorce and came to confirm it with me.
I didn't hide it, just said we divorced due to incompatible personalities.
They felt very sorry: "I thought couples like you who split everything fifty-fifty had the most unbreakable partnership in marriage."
Hearing this, I was silent for a long time.
"Love isn't a partnership where 'everyone manages their own'—it's a bond where 'you're part of me and I'm part of you.'"
End of He Counted Every Cent, Except the Cost of Losing Me Chapter 9. View all chapters or return to He Counted Every Cent, Except the Cost of Losing Me book page.