My Husband Claimed He Was On A Business Trip. I Found Him At The Hospital With My Pregnant Best Friend. Little Does He Know, I Just Cut Him Off From Every Penny He Ever Stole. What Should I Do Next?

Sarah, who was already heading to the elevator, stopped for a moment and looked back expressionlessly.

“Enjoy the walk, Richard. Oh, and be careful on the street. New York is hot without air conditioning.”

Chapter 26: The Rooming House

The elevator doors closed, taking the queen back to her throne on the floor below. Richard and Lauren were left standing in the middle of the lobby—without a home, without a job, without a car, and without dignity.

“Honey,” Lauren touched his arm.

“How are we getting back? My suitcases are heavy.”

Richard looked at Lauren with hatred.

“How? By bus! Figure it out yourself! I am ruined because of you!”

Richard walked out of the building with a clumsy gait, dragging his heavy suitcase. The scorching New York sun burned his skin. On the sidewalk, he saw the Escalade he had boasted so much about being towed away. He was now truly alone in the concrete jungle. The money in his wallet was dwindling by the second, and above, from the 25th-floor window, Sarah looked down, holding a glass of wine.

“The first act is over,” Sarah murmured.

“Now it is time to make them devour each other.”

The midday New York sun is no friend to those on foot, especially not to those who have just fallen from heaven. The sidewalk in front of the luxurious office building seemed to cook the soles of their feet, reflecting the heat of the asphalt mixed with the dust of pollution. Richard stood paralyzed at the edge of the road. His dress shirt was now soaked with sweat. Beside him, two large suitcases stood stiffly. Lauren was sitting on one of them, massaging her sore feet from wearing high-heeled shoes—shoes that now seemed ridiculous on a cracked sidewalk.

“Honey, it is so hot,” Lauren complained, fanning her face with her hand.

“Call a luxury car service. I do not want to get in a regular cab; they smell like smoke.”

Richard turned slowly, looking at Lauren with eyes reddened by stress.

“Luxury?” He sneered.

“You think we are on vacation? We are homeless, Lauren! Homeless!”

“Do not yell!” Lauren replied, though her voice trembled.

“I am pregnant with your child. If I get stressed, something could happen to the baby. Do you want to be responsible?”

Chapter 27: Four Forget-Me-Not Lane

Always her weapon: the pregnancy. Richard sighed sharply, restraining the urge to abandon her right there. He took out his phone; the screen was slightly cracked. He opened a ride-sharing app. His fingers hesitated. His digital wallet balance was zero. He had to pay in cash. A premium car to the nearest three-star hotel would cost $30. An economy car to a dense residential area was $10. Richard chose the cheaper option.

“No, we are not going to a hotel,” he muttered.

“Then where? Do not tell me we are going to my parents’ house in the suburbs. How embarrassing, Richard, showing up with suitcases and a cheap taxi!” Lauren protested.

“We are looking for a rooming house,” Richard decided firmly.

“We only have about $1,200 left. If we stay in a hotel, it will be gone in a week. We need a cheap monthly place until I find a new job.”

Lauren’s face transformed into a mask of horror.

“A rooming house? Richard, I have never lived in one in my life! In college my uncle paid for an apartment for me. Now I am going to degrade myself like this?”

“It is either that, or you sleep under a bridge!” Richard snapped, before dragging the suitcases towards a dented Toyota that had just pulled up.

The car ride was silent and torturous. The air conditioning barely worked; the smell of a citrus air freshener made Lauren nauseous. During the ride, Richard frantically searched online portals for cheap rooms for a couple in the Bronx. The options were limited. Richard realized that without a paycheck, without references, and with limited funds, they could not rent an apartment. The choice fell on a rooming house in a narrow alley in a rough neighborhood.

“Four Forget-Me-Not Lane,” the driver read with a doubtful voice.

“Sir, I do not think the car can get to the door. The alley is very narrow.”

“Just drop us at the entrance to the alley,” Richard replied, resigned.

Upon arrival, reality slapped them even harder. They got out at the mouth of a dirty alley. Dark stagnant water filled the potholes; the smell of sewage mixed with that of fried food from a nearby bar.

“Richard, are you serious?” Lauren covered her nose.

Chapter 28: Mrs. Carmen’s Rooming House

Richard no longer cared; his eyes welled up as he looked at the dark passage ahead.

“Walk,” he ordered.

Richard dragged the two heavy suitcases by himself as Lauren refused to touch them. The wheels of the luxurious suitcases squeaked sadly on the uneven pavement. They became the center of attention: mothers in bathrobes, men playing cards—all eyes were on this strange couple. A man in a wrinkled designer shirt, a woman in a nice dress and designer bag, dragging suitcases through a sordid alley.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” Richard asked a woman hanging laundry.

“Where is Mrs. Carmen’s rooming house?”

The woman looked him up and down and pointed to a two-story house with peeling green paint at the end of the alley.

“The one with the rusty door.”

They arrived in front of the house. A plywood sign said: Carman’s rooms coup’s welcome. Richard knocked on the iron door. A stout middle-aged woman with rollers in her hair came out.

“You looking for a room?” she asked bluntly.

“Yes, ma’am. Do you have any available?” Richard asked politely, lowering his usual authoritative tone.

“There is one on the second floor at the back. No AC, private bathroom but it is a wreck. The electricity is prepaid and water is split, $10 a month. The rent is $300 a month with a $100 deposit. You have to pay everything upfront.”

“$300?” Lauren exclaimed under her breath.

“That is what a facial costs me, Richard! So cheap, it must be horrible.”

Mrs. Carmen glared at her.

“Hey, girly, if you want something nice, go to a hotel! This is what I have. Do you want it or not? There is a waiting list.”

Richard quickly grabbed Lauren’s arm.

“We will take it, ma’am. We will take it. Can we see it?”