A Porsche For Her Childhood Sweetheart

Melody Sinclair constantly nagged me about being frugal. She made me wear the same patched-up suit for five long years.

Even the gifts I gave her on holidays were returned for cash. She claimed she was saving up to buy me a brand-new car once we had enough.

But on our wedding anniversary, she took the two hundred thousand she had saved and bought a Porsche Panamera for her childhood sweetheart.

She even left a comment on his post: "I'll be the one to make your childhood dreams come true."

That was when I realized her wedding ring had been replaced with a cheap knockoff. Melody's thriftiness was nothing more than a calculated scheme against me.

I immediately returned the diamond pendant I'd bought for her. Instead, I handed her a plain, ordinary greeting card while she looked on with anticipation.

"The gift is small, but the sentiment is deep. Pure gold can't compare to my sincere heart, don't you agree?"

Melody burst out laughing when she heard that.

"Stop joking. Come on, take out the real gift. Why are you teasing me?"

She fumbled around my pockets for a long time, but she couldn't find what she was looking for. Her smile froze instantly.

"What kind of joke is this? Today is our fifth anniversary. Giving me a piece of paper is a bit too much, don't you think?"

"Is it because you can't return it for cash, or because it's not the gift you truly want?"

My direct confrontation made her face sour immediately.

"You're just saying that because I haven't asked for anything expensive over the years. You think I'm cheap now, don't you? To think you'd use a scrap of paper to fool me!"

She snatched the card from my hand and threw it on the floor.

Not satisfied, she stomped on it with her heel. That one move crushed the last bit of love I had for her.

Melody was famous for her penny-pinching. She'd haggle over cents at the grocery store.

She even insisted on buying household items that were about to expire just to save a few bucks.

I gave her five thousand dollars a month for living expenses. Logically, she didn't need to be that cheap.

Every holiday, I prepared gifts for her. From luxury handbags to custom-designed jewelry, the price tags were limitless.

By chance, I discovered the gifts I gave her had been swapped for high-quality fakes. I thought the boutiques were selling counterfeits and was about to call the cops.

She stopped me, looking incredibly awkward.

"Honey, actually... I returned those things for cash. I used the replicas so you wouldn't notice. Please don't be mad."

Under my questioning, she told me the truth with a look of grievance.

She said she had been overly frugal because she wanted to save enough to buy me a luxury car. As a housewife with no income, this was the only way she could think of to contribute.

I was moved and felt guilty for doubting her. I decided to silently support her goal.

I became as frugal as she was. I didn't even throw away my suit after five years of patches.

I thought I understood her sacrifice. Until the night before our anniversary, I saw a post from her childhood friend, Weston Reed.

He was celebrating his new Porsche Panamera, worth over two hundred thousand dollars.

I didn't think much of it at first. But my sharp eyes caught Melody's comment in the section below.

"I'll be the one to make your childhood dreams come true."

The comment was deleted within thirty seconds. Suspicious, I checked her bank records.

There was a recent transaction for exactly two hundred thousand dollars.

I finally realized her so-called "frugality" was just a way to embezzle my money.

She was terrified I'd notice the missing funds, so she used these cunning tactics. For five years, her devotion was entirely for another man!

Melody's shrill voice snapped me back to reality. She picked up the card, tearing it to pieces while screaming.

"Stefan Blackwood, do I not deserve a decent gift? How dare you humiliate me with this trash!"

I glanced at the diamond ring on her finger. The platinum band showed faint signs of rust.

Clearly, she had even replaced the ring that symbolized our marriage with a fake.

Watching her throw a tantrum, I smiled and said nothing. After half a minute, she realized something was wrong.

She looked down at the torn pieces of the card in her hand.

A bank card slipped out from between the torn paper.

Melody's eyes widened, and she covered her mouth to keep from gasping.

"You... what is this?"

I didn't answer. I leaned down, picked up the card, and tucked it into her palm.

"Since you love saving money so much, I put the gift budget into this account. There's thirty thousand in there. Now you don't have to make a trip to the bank."

The lightweight card seemed to weigh a ton in her hand. Remembering what she just said, she looked ashamed.

She started trembling with nerves.

"Honey, I was just emotional and said the wrong things. Please don't take it to heart."

"I don't really have anything to spend this on. Why don't you take it back?"

She made a half-hearted gesture to return it. I wasn't an idiot; I could tell the difference between sincerity and a test.

"Didn't you say you wanted to buy me a car? I trust you with this money. Keep it."

After a bit more back-and-forth, she stopped refusing. Her aggressive face transformed into one of sweet affection.

"Oh, darling... I've been saving for so long. I'm sure I'll reach our goal soon, hehe."

She grinned so wide her face almost split. She happily carried the card back to the bedroom.

Just as I expected, she took the bait easily.

The next afternoon, Melody dressed up beautifully. She was clearly preparing to go out.

"Honey, it's my best friend's birthday in a few days. I might use that card to buy her a gift. Just letting you know."

"You'll probably get the text alerts on your phone, right?"

Buying that car must have drained her secret stash. Now, she was already eyeing the new card.

I sipped my tea, pretending not to care.

"I figured the card was for you anyway, so I didn't set up the alerts. No need for the hassle. Use it however you want."

Her smile brightened even more at that answer. She gave me a quick peck on the cheek and hurried out the door.

Of course, I lied to her. I knew exactly where every cent went the moment it was spent.

Shortly after she left, my phone buzzed with a notification for a five-thousand-dollar purchase.

I wasn't surprised. Melody only had one close friend, and they usually exchanged gifts worth a few hundred at most.

She would never be stupid enough to lose money on a friend like that.

I soon found where the money went on social media.

Two hours after she left, Weston Reed updated his status.

In the photo, he was wearing a high-end designer suit. He had a smug, arrogant smile, but the mirror behind him was blurred out.

It looked like the photographer was trying to hide their identity.

I recognized the suit immediately. It cost exactly five thousand dollars.

With Weston's salary as a low-level clerk, there was no way he could afford it.

Compared to me, he looked far more sophisticated.

After all, what CEO wears a suit covered in patches and shoes with soles that have been glued back together?

I remembered when we first started the business. Melody and I were so poor we shared one boxed meal a day.

We spent three years squeezed into a tiny, dilapidated apartment. She suffered so much with me, and we didn't even have a real wedding.

When the company went public and I made my first million, I swore I'd give her the best life possible.

I looked at the messy stitches on my cuffs and the faded fabric of my sleeve. I let out a long, heavy sigh.

The girl who used to leave the best parts of the porridge for me is gone. She has vanished from my memory completely.

At two in the morning, I heard a car horn outside. I went out to see Melody stepping out of the passenger seat of the Porsche.

Her face was flushed as she complained to the driver.

"You just got paid and you're already blowing it on dinner? That meal cost five hundred dollars. I'm not going out with you if you keep being so wasteful!"

Weston leaned out with a wicked grin and reached out to pinch her earlobe.

"Melody, you just bought me this expensive car and a custom suit. Did you expect me to take you to a taco stand?"

"I feel like I'm taking advantage of you. Why don't you come to my place tonight? I need to think of a proper way to thank you..."

Melody's face turned even redder. She playfully tapped Weston's head and pulled a Rolex Submariner from her bag.

"Stop being so charming! Here, try this on. You're about to be a manager; this is your promotion gift."

Watching this, I remembered suggesting I get a new watch recently. Melody had shut me down instantly, calling it an unnecessary luxury.

She lectured me about spending money on things that had no value.

She preached about simplicity and making every cent count. Now, she was using my money to buy a hundred-thousand-dollar watch for a petty supervisor.

Weston looked at the gleaming watch with strange calmness. He almost looked annoyed.

"Didn't you give me one just like this last year? Maybe you should give this to Stefan. He'd probably like it."

Melody paused, as if she just remembered something. She tapped her forehead awkwardly.

"Look at my memory. I forgot I got you one for your birthday."

"Never mind, I'll just return it. Giving such an expensive watch to Stefan feels like a total waste."

My hands began to shake uncontrollably. My breathing hitched, and my vision blurred for a second.

The woman I had shared a bed with for five years actually thought of me this way.

The anger I had been suppressing exploded. I slammed the front door open.

Right at that moment, my phone started ringing loudly.

Melody and Weston both jumped and looked toward me. Their interlaced hands snapped apart instantly.

"Honey! You're... you're still awake?"

Melody panicked, quickly hiding the Rolex behind her back.

I was about to lose it, but I glanced at the text from my assistant. It helped me regain some control.

A ten-million-dollar contract had finally been signed. The news took the edge off my rage.

I realized I didn't have solid evidence of her infidelity yet. If I confronted her now, I'd just blow my chance to trap them.

I forced my anger down. Melody forced a stiff smile and walked toward me, sweat beading on her forehead.

"I was shopping with Cassie and ran into Weston. He was headed this way and offered me a ride. Don't get the wrong idea."

Since she couldn't hide it anymore, she pulled out the watch. She took my hand with a flattering smile and slipped it onto my wrist.

"Oh, I wanted to save this surprise for your birthday. Now it's ruined!"

"I don't know much about watches, so I asked Weston to help me pick one out. Do you like it?"

Her performance was seamless. She didn't miss a beat.

I let out a cold snort and turned my gaze toward Weston.

"Haven't seen you in a while. Nice car. That suit looks like it cost a few thousand, too. You must be doing well lately."

Weston's face turned bright red under my stare.

"Oh... you know, I've had good commissions lately. Plus my year-end bonus. I took out a loan for the car. The suit is a knockoff, only cost a hundred bucks. It's not as fancy as it looks."

After his desperate excuses, he claimed he had an emergency at home.

He sped off in the Porsche, leaving Melody standing there awkwardly. She fumbled for words for a long time.

I smiled and patted her shoulder.

"You and Weston grew up together. I won't say anything about you being close. You look so nervous, someone might think you're having an affair."

At the word "affair," Melody turned ghost-white. She bit her lower lip hard.

"Haha... you... you're such a joker. Weston and I would never do something like that."

Once she calmed down, she tried to pull me back into the house. I could see the anxiety rolling off her in waves.

I leaned in and whispered into her ear.

"Melody, Weston's car is pretty nice. You've saved quite a bit over the years, right? Why don't we go pick out a new car for me tomorrow?"

"Let meDbe happy for once."

Hearing my words, Melody's guilt became visible.

She had saved about two hundred thousand over the years, but after buying the car and the watch for Weston, she had almost nothing left.

She didn't have a penny to spare.

"Uh... your current car is still fine. There's no need to rush, right?"

She dodged my gaze, her voice trembling. She never expected me to actually ask for that car.

After all, I had never taken her promise seriously before. I had treated it as her personal safety net.

I patted her shoulder again, making it sound like a joke.

"Don't tell me you're unwilling?"

"No... of course not! It's just... so sudden. And I haven't saved quite enough yet. Maybe in a few months..."

She clenched her fists. She tried to change the subject, but I wasn't letting her off the hook.

I went straight for the jugular.

"Melody, exactly how much have you saved? Or have you already spent it all?"

It was like a lightning strike. Her body went rigid. She stuttered for a long time before finding an answer.

"The money is in a fixed-term deposit. I can't take it out right now. Let's wait until it matures, okay?"

To prove her lie, she pulled up a fake screenshot of a bank balance on her phone. It showed over two hundred thousand dollars.

"Don't worry. I've never spent a dime of this. It's all for you."

She hurried me into the house, terrified that another minute of conversation would expose her.

I added one more thing.

"I have to pick up a major client out of town in a few days. My current car is too old. I really think I should get a new one."

Melody immediately looked annoyed and rolled her eyes at me.

"You're becoming so vain. Is a BMW not good enough? Why do you want to waste money like this?"

I just laughed and shook my head at her reaction.

"Fine. If you're against it, we'll drop it for now. I'll listen to you."

She let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Stefan, I just don't want you getting used to being reckless with money. What if something happens? This money is for a real emergency."

Even now, she was using these lies to play me. She had no intention of coming clean.

This was the last chance I gave her, and she blew it. Since she didn't want to play fair, neither would I.