Michael stepped out, but it wasn’t the Michael I remembered. My husband had worn khakis from clearance racks and whatever T-shirt he could find in his closet.

But more often than not, he was in his grocery store cashier uniform. That had been his job for the longest time. He worked six days a week and earned slightly more than minimum wage.

But my now ex-husband was wearing a designer suit that probably cost more than our old apartment’s rent. A Rolex glinted on his wrist, and his hair was expertly styled, not the messy mop he used to have.

I don’t know what propelled me, but I left my cart behind and walked outside. “Michael?” His name slipped out as I got closer to his car.

He turned, and for a split second, I caught something in his eyes. But it vanished instantly, replaced by cold disdain.

I forced myself to be civil. After all, we’d spent 12 years together. “Hey! Wow, congrats! This must be the car you’ve always dreamed about. Looks like you’re doing really well! Do you get a new job?”

“Katherine, we’re not together anymore. This is really not your business,” he responded, fixing his hair while walking past me. “Oh, wait,” he stopped at the grocery store entrance and reached into his pocket. “You can have this. Think of it as my parting gift.”

A $100 bill flew in the air and fell on the asphalt right at my feet. Was he insane? I wasn’t a beggar. Throughout our entire relationship, I’d earned more.

After all, I was a veterinarian, and he was a cashier. I’d never minded; we were high school sweethearts, and money wasn’t supposed to matter. I had been happy in our little apartment… until he asked for a divorce.

Who was this person?

“Really?” I asked, raising my voice. “This is who you are now?”
Michael just smirked and went into the store. I was about to stomp to my car, but something made me pick up the bill on the asphalt.

And my eyes immediately landed on a small smiley face below the 100. It brought back a memory of the last conversation I had with Grandpa.

The doctors had already said he didn’t have much time left after a serious diagnosis. I went to his house, intent on spending quality time with him, but he ushered me into his home office.

After talking about some lighthearted matters for a while, he opened his desk’s bottom drawer.

“Kat, please take this,” he said, unearthing stack after stack of cash. There must have been around $200,000 in one-hundred-dollar bills. “This is for your future. You can open your own veterinary clinic or a rescue, or use it for a proper house. I want to see you happy and secure.”

I smiled. “Grandpa, I don’t need any of this,” I told him. “I can think of several charities that do.”

“Kat, please, listen,” he begged me.

But I shook my head and smiled wider. I stood, grabbing one of the bills and a pen from his holder. I drew a little smile and handed the money over. “Don’t be sad, Grandpa, and don’t worry about me. I make more than enough. I am happy. Now, all I want is to spend the afternoon with you. Let’s go to the garden.”

He sighed and chuckled. Then we went outside. I forgot about the cash while we drank iced tea and looked at the birds and squirrels among the rustling tree leaves.

I lost him two weeks later, and as far as I knew, Grandpa had given all his money and assets to my other relatives and several charities. I truly wanted nothing.

A month after that, Michael left me, and at that moment, as I stared at the bill with a smiley face, my stomach dropped.

Harrison’s downtown office was similar to my grandfather’s, but it was in an intimidating building in the fanciest area, with windows overlooking the city skyline.

He was my grandfather’s best friend and oldest business partner. Despite being in his 70s, Harrison refused to retire. Family photos covered his desk, including one of Grandpa and him fishing together.

“Katherine, what brings you here?” he asked, his kind eyes crinkling with concern as he swiveled on his leather chair.

“Sir, I need to ask you something. Did Grandpa mention who he was giving money to?”

He shifted in his leather chair, scratching his chin. “He told me you weren’t interested in money. What makes you ask about that now? Are you in trouble? How much do you need?”

I raised my hands, shaking my head.

“No, it’s nothing like that,” I began and reached into my pocket for the $100 bill. “I’m asking because I just saw Michael, my ex, driving a sports car and wearing clothes worth more than our old rent. He threw this at me. I drew that smiley face on the stack of cash Grandpa offered me.”

Harrison put on his reading glasses on and his frown deepened as he stared at the bill.

“Oh, Katherine,” he sighed, taking off his glasses. “I think your grandfather may have given Michael the money. He mentioned it in passing. I advised him against it, but he must have done it. He thought it would make your life better.”

I sat back on my chair, sighing. “That’s why he divorced me right after Grandpa died. I should’ve realized. That snake.”

Harrison gave me back the bill, and I thanked him for his time. But before I could exit his office, he asked, “Do you want to do something about it?”

“Do you want him to keep that money or…” he trailed off, raising his eyebrows.

When I smiled, he gave me a card. It was for a lawyer at a firm located in the next building over. “Logan is the best man for this job.”

Logan’s assistant settled me in his office and offered me tea. A few minutes later, Logan walked in, undeniably confident, tall, and handsome.

“I just got off the phone with Harrison. So your ex took advantage of your grandfather’s good intentions,” he began, sitting down and taking some notes. “And conveniently asked for a divorce a month later. Classic fraud by deception.”

I nodded and answered all of the following questions he gave me to the best of my knowledge.

“Okay,” I asked after telling him everything, swallowing thickly. “What can I do about it now? I’m sure he has already spent a lot of the money.”

Logan stood and looked out his window for a second before meeting my gaze again. “I’d say let’s pay him a visit before we go into any legalities.”

“Now? Why?”

“Because the man Harrison just described is a coward,” Logan replied, his eyes narrowing but with pleasure. “It’s exactly the kind of man that will fold with just a little… coercion.”

“Well, I do have his address,” I said, grinning. “He had me send him the rest of his belongings.”

“Good,” Logan smirked and gestured for the door. “Let’s go.”
Michael’s new apartment complex rose twenty stories into the sky. The lobby had marble floors and a doorman who eyed Logan’s expensive suit with approval and my modest clothes with suspicion.

The silent elevator ride gave me time to think. Michael was an idiot; he must have spent half the money already and wouldn’t be able to afford this place for much longer.

“Ready?” Logan asked when the elevator doors opened, distracting me from my thoughts.

I nodded as we walked toward Michael’s apartment, and he rang the bell.

The door opened a minute later to reveal my ex in silk pajamas. His eyes widened when he saw me, then narrowed when they landed on Logan.

“Who’s this?” Michael asked, trying to sound tough but his voice cracked slightly.

“I’m Miss Katherine’s attorney,” Logan’s smile was razor-sharp. “May we come in?”

“No,” Michael answered, his eyes darting between us.

“Very well,” Logan continued without missing a beat. “It has come to our attention that you filed for divorce from my client a short while after receiving a significant amount of money from her grandfather. Isn’t that right?”

“No!” Michael said, his nostrils flaring. “This is my money, and it had nothing to do with the divorce.”

“Well, you’ll have to prove that in court soon,” Logan stated calmly. “We’ll sue you for it, and we already have Katherine’s grandfather’s best friend who will testify to having a conversation with him about giving you the money and why. We’ll also subpoena your bank records, text messages, and every conversation you had. If there’s even a hint of deception, you’ll lose everything.”

“You can’t prove anything,” my ex-husband said and puffed up his chest before looking into my eyes. “I’ll get a lawyer, too.”

“Sure,” Logan shrugged. “But legal fees add up fast. The rent in this place, the car you bought, and the clothes you’re wearing must have already put a serious dent in what you received. Are you willing to take a gamble on the rest or worse, owe hundreds of thousands in legal fees?”

I watched Michael’s face as reality all sank in.

“You really planned this, didn’t you?” I asked quietly. “Taking the money and leaving me? You lied to my dying grandfather.”

Michael wouldn’t meet my eyes, and after another tense minute, his shoulders slumped. “Fine,” he whispered. “I’ll sell everything. You’ll get your money back.”

“All of it,” Logan said, urging me away from Michael now that our business seemed settled.

We reached the elevator, and I saw him turn back to my ex, who was still standing in his apartment doorway with his mouth set in a hard line.

“We’ll draw up a payment plan for anything you can’t return… immediately,” Logan added with a small smirk.

When we entered the elevator, Michael called out, “Kat, I…”

“Save it. I hope it was worth it,” I said as the metal doors closed.

A year later, I used the money Michael returned to open a veterinary clinic in Grandpa’s honor. Harrison came to the opening with his dog and told me Grandpa would be proud.

A week or so after the opening, Logan stopped by and asked me to dinner… Two years later, I was marrying him. I knew that no one would ever be able to mess with me with a man like him by my side.

And Logan doesn’t know this, but I keep a particular smiley $100 bill hidden in my wallet. It’s one of my treasures, not only because it reminds me of Grandpa, but because it led me to the love of my life.