Chapter 1

At exactly ten o'clock on Tuesday morning, Felix was sprawled on the worn-out couch in his living room, mindlessly flipping through channels with the remote in his hand.

Sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting mottled shadows on the coffee table cluttered with empty beer bottles and takeout boxes. Another damn day.

Ever since being laid off from the construction company, his life had become this routine—sleeping until he naturally woke up, watching trash TV shows, waiting for Avery to come home.

The phone rang.

Felix glanced at the caller ID—unknown number. 'Probably another telemarketer.' He hesitated for a moment, then answered anyway.

"Hello, is this Mr. Felix Sutton?" A woman's voice, sounding very official.

"Yeah, that's me." Felix yawned. "If you're trying to sell me something—"

"Sir, I'm a customer service representative from Pacific Life Insurance Company. We're conducting our annual policy review and need to verify some information regarding the five hundred thousand dollar life insurance policy purchased under Mrs. Avery Sutton's name."

Felix's hand froze. "What insurance?"

"Mr. Sutton, according to our records, your wife purchased a substantial life insurance policy six months ago with you listed as the beneficiary. We've been unable to reach Mrs. Sutton for our routine annual verification. Could you help us confirm her current contact information?"

Felix's heart began to race. "Wait, unable to reach her?"

"Sir," the customer service rep's voice became more concerned, "we've sent multiple notices to your home address and tried calling the phone number on file. When we can't contact a policyholder for this length of time, company policy requires us to verify the situation with the beneficiary. Is Mrs. Sutton... available?"

There was an uncomfortable silence. "We do need to update our records. If you could have Mrs. Sutton contact us as soon as possible, or if there's been any change in her circumstances..."

Felix hung up, his hands shaking violently.

Five hundred thousand dollars? When did Avery buy insurance? Why did she hide it from him? More importantly, why couldn't the insurance company reach her?

Felix rushed into the study and began frantically searching through files. Drawers creaked as he yanked them open, papers from folders scattered across the floor. Tax forms, utility bills, bank statements—damn it, where did Avery hide all the important documents?

At the bottom of the third drawer, he found a folder labeled "Insurance Documents." His fingers trembled as he opened it.

The Pacific Life Insurance Company logo stared back at him. Policyholder: Avery Sutton. Beneficiary: Felix Sutton. Insurance Amount: Five Hundred Thousand Dollars. Purchase Date: October 15th, last year.

'October 15th... that was the day after our seventh wedding anniversary.'

He continued searching and found more shocking documents. A home mortgage contract—their house had been mortgaged for a three hundred thousand dollar loan. Bank loan records showed that Avery had applied for a personal loan last September.

"Why would she do this?" he muttered to the empty room. "Why would she hide this from me?"

He picked up Avery's bank statements and examined them carefully. Six months ago—around the time she left—there were large cash withdrawals. She'd almost emptied the account.

These signs pointed to a possibility he didn't want to admit.

The doorbell rang. Felix dragged his heavy steps to answer it, finding Miranda Bell standing outside with a bouquet of flowers and what looked like a fragrant apple pie in her hands.

"Felix," she smiled sweetly, "I heard Avery still hasn't come back? I thought you might need some company."

Miranda was their neighbor and also the most successful insurance salesperson in town. She always dressed impeccably, today wearing a beige suit, her perfect makeup making her look younger than her actual age.

"Miranda," he looked at her, a thought suddenly occurring to him, "do you know about Avery buying that five hundred thousand dollar insurance policy?"

Her expression became surprised, but he sensed that the surprise was somewhat... contrived. "Oh my God, she really bought it? I only casually suggested she consider family protection..."

"Casually suggested?"

"Yeah," Miranda walked into the living room, setting down the flowers and pie. "A few months ago when we were chatting, she mentioned your unemployment situation, said she worried about what would happen to you if something happened to her. I just said many housewives nowadays buy life insurance, just in case."

She sat down on the couch, patting the space beside her to indicate he should join her. "But honestly, Avery's emotions were quite unstable recently. She kept saying she felt like a burden to you, worried about the financial pressure after you lost your job."

He sat beside her, feeling a deep sense of guilt. "I didn't realize she was under so much pressure..."

"You know," Miranda gently stroked the back of his hand, "women sometimes take on too much responsibility. Avery loves you very much—her buying this insurance shows how much she cares about your future."

Her touch made him feel both comfortable and uneasy. Over the past few months, Miranda had often come to check on him, bringing food, keeping him company. He knew it wasn't right—he was a married man, but Avery wasn't there, and Miranda... she understood him.

"Maybe she just needs time to cool off," Miranda said softly. "This insurance might make her feel like she's done something for you, relieved some of her guilt."

He nodded, wanting to believe her words. But that call from the insurance company made some corner of his heart feel afraid.

"I should go find her," he said.

"Of course," Miranda stood up, smoothing her suit. "If you need any help, call me anytime. I'll pray for you, Felix."

She lightly kissed his cheek, leaving behind the scent of perfume, then left.

He looked at the apple pie on the coffee table but had no appetite. Avery never bought such expensive insurance.

'Why did she suddenly buy five hundred thousand dollars worth of insurance?'

'Was she really just going away to clear her head?'

'Why hasn't she contacted anyone in six months?'