Chapter 2 - The Morning After
Mateo woke up in the penthouse, his head throbbing from the whiskey he drank last night.
He expected Elena to be in the kitchen, crying and begging for his forgiveness.
Instead, the apartment was completely empty.
He checked his phone and saw a notification from his bank.
His platinum credit card had been declined for a small coffee purchase.
Annoyed, he logged into his banking app.
A large red banner flashed across the screen: "Account Suspended."
Mateo’s heart skipped a beat.
He tried to log into the joint savings account, but his password was invalid.
Panic started to set in as he dialed Elena's number.
It went straight to voicemail.
Beatrice called him a minute later, sounding absolutely frantic.
"Mateo, my auto-pay for the country club just bounced!" she screamed.
Mateo stared at the empty closet where Elena's clothes used to be.
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He realized she hadn't just packed a bag.
She had taken the financial keys to his entire life.
