The Blue Rejection That Ended My Marriage Chapter 01

The Blue Rejection That Ended My Marriage Chapter 01

It was three months into our marriage.

My wife, Sloane Mercer, always said I had it too easy when it came to money, so she started color-coding every spending request I made. Orange meant urgent, yellow meant routine, and blue meant on hold.

Any time I needed money, I had to submit a request to her executive assistant, Miles Carter, and wait for him to approve it. Sloane said marriage wasn’t charity, and as her husband, I should be especially careful to follow the rules.

When I spent three days in the hospital with gastroenteritis, the request was marked blue, with a note saying it wouldn’t be approved until I submitted the bill.

When I asked for money to buy my mom a birthday gift, that was blue too, with a ten-dollar cap.

When my back started hurting and I asked for a robot vacuum, that request was marked blue and denied outright.

Then I finally got my back checked. The doctor told me I had severe lumbar spondylolisthesis and needed surgery as soon as possible. If it got worse, I could lose the use of my legs.

As always, I submitted a request.

Two minutes later, the response came back.

[Blue. Request denied.]

I couldn’t take it anymore. I went straight to Sloane’s office.

Miles was coming out of her office when the watch on his wrist caught my eye.

I knew that watch. A week earlier, I’d seen the exact one sitting in Sloane’s online cart—four thousand dollars.

Now Miles was grinning as he waved an approved expense request at everyone.

“A thousand dollars for the team dinner tonight. Mrs. Mercer approved it!”

Cheers broke out around him.

“Miles for the win!”

“See? I told you Miles can talk Mrs. Mercer into anything!”

I froze, one hand still braced against my aching back.

Suddenly, it felt like I’d spent the last two years being the punch line of a joke.

I didn’t get angry. I didn’t make a scene. I turned around and went straight to a law firm.

The attorney looked up when I walked in. “What can I help you with?”

“A divorce.”

…

Sloane didn’t get home until late that night. Miles was with her, holding her up as they came through the door.

They stopped when they saw me sitting on the couch.

“You’re still up?”

Sloane frowned. “Didn’t I tell you we had a company dinner tonight?”

Her tone was casual, faintly irritated, as if nothing about the situation was unusual.

I looked at how closely they were pressed together. Before I could say a word, Miles quickly stepped away.

“Elliot, don’t get the wrong idea. Sloane had a lot to drink, so I brought her home.”

The fact that he’d called her Sloane caught me off guard. Miles had been my college roommate, and I was the one who recommended him for the job. Back then, he’d been so formal with her. He always called her Mrs. Mercer.

Somewhere along the way, even that had changed.

I ignored him and looked straight at Sloane.

“Why didn’t you approve my hospital expenses?”

Her irritation was immediate.

“Is money seriously all you ever think about? Miles was nice enough to bring me home. Go get him a glass of water.”

I stayed where I was.

“After a four-thousand-dollar watch, driving you home is the least he could do.”

Sloane’s expression hardened.

“You went through my phone?”

Even now, her first instinct was still to make me the one at fault.

Silence hung between us for a moment before Miles calmly reached for my arm.

“Elliot, don’t be mad. Sloane only got me that birthday gift because of you.”

I looked at the hand gripping my arm and remembered a year earlier, when he’d been the one standing in front of me begging for a favor.

“Elliot, please. Put in a good word with Mrs. Mercer and get me into the company. I swear I’ll pay you back!”

We’d been roommates, so I got him the job myself.

I just never imagined his idea of paying me back would be denying one blue request after another.

I jerked my arm free and rubbed my wrist.

Miles shot Sloane an awkward glance.

Sure enough, she immediately stepped in front of him, shielding him from me. Her eyes turned cold.

“Why are you giving him attitude? He was just following the rules.”

“Miles closed the deal. The watch was a reward. He earned it.”

“Can you stop looking for a fight?”

I pushed myself to my feet through the pain in my back.

“He deserves a reward, but I don’t deserve to have my hospital stay paid for when I’m sick?”

“But you’re fine, aren’t you?”

“The doctor said I could lose the use of my legs and that I need surgery as soon as possible.”

She scoffed. “That’s just a possibility.”

I looked at her quietly.

“What if I do end up paralyzed?”

She still stood squarely in front of Miles, blocking him from me. Her voice remained calm, as though we were discussing someone else’s problem.

“Then bring the hospital paperwork, submit a request, and let Miles review it like everything else.”

Miles smiled from behind her, putting on an earnest tone.

“Elliot, don’t worry. If it’s really an emergency, I won’t hold you up. I’ll mark it orange and fast-track it.”

A crushing weight settled over my chest.

I closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them again, my voice was calmer than I expected.

“No more requests.”

“Sloane, I want a divorce.”

After a brief, dead silence, Sloane let out a quiet laugh.

“Elliot, I make all the money in this house. Leave me and you won’t even be able to pay for your surgery.”

“What are you going to do, have surgery in the street?”

The words landed like a slap.

I clenched my fists, forcing myself to stay in control.

Miles said her name.

“Sloane, weren’t you going to help me go over tomorrow’s proposal? Maybe Elliot should have some time alone to cool off.”

Before they went into the home office, Sloane came over and gave my hand a small squeeze.

“Elliot, money doesn’t grow on trees, and you’re impulsive with it. I can’t just hand it over every time you ask.”

“Be good and get some sleep. Give your back a rest.”