I Bought a Penthouse, but Fiance Made Me Live in Attic

1: 1

The day I moved into the eight-million-dollar full-floor apartment, my fiance Raymond Henson showed up with Yvette Vance's whole family, six people, and moved them in.

He came marching into the living room with the luggage, glowing, and started handing out rooms in that loud, pleased-with-himself voice.

"Katherine, you take the biggest bedroom on the first floor. Best light in the place."

"Cecil Vance, you and Minnie take the guest room next to it. That one looks straight out at the lake. Great view."

"The kids and Yvette can go up to the second floor, right next to me."

Five rooms, all spoken for. Something dropped in my chest, and I said, "Raymond, and where do I sleep?"

He pulled me off to the side and dropped his voice, wheedling, pitiful.

"Mel, they're family to me. It's their first day here. I can't shove them up in the attic, can I?"

"Just rough it in the attic for a couple of days. You've always been the reasonable one. Do me this one favor, okay?"

I watched the whole crowd in the living room whoop and go diving into the rooms I'd put together so carefully, and all at once I didn't feel like arguing.

I quietly shook his hand off and looked at him, cold.

"Raymond, this is my apartment. Remember that. Mine."

He decided I was just throwing another fit and dropped it, turning to call cheerfully to his so-called family.

"Katherine, Yvette, hurry up and pack a few things. I'm taking everyone to a five-star hotel for king crab and grouper filet."

Up in the third-floor attic, I lay down with ice in my chest and called the agent straight off.

"Miss Finch, the full-floor apartment in Building A of Crown Ridge, I need an urgent sale. Line up buyers to come see it as soon as you can."

Louisa Finch's voice came back puzzled.

"Miss Swanson, didn't you just finish renovating that place for your wedding home? Why the sudden urgent sale?"

"There's no wedding," I said, calm.

I hung up, opened the company intranet, and put in a request to transfer to the Seaford branch office.

Done with all of it, I lay quietly on the makeshift plank bed and looked up at the ceiling.

Downstairs, Raymond and his people were still glowing, telling him how capable he was, how huge the new place was.

"Raymond, I could tell you were sharp even as a boy. I always knew you'd make something of yourself."

"Raymond, a place this big must've cost a fortune. Your job must run you ragged."

His childhood sweetheart was probably clinging to his arm, gazing at him with that mix of worship and heartache.

"It's nothing, nothing. Big company, good perks. My bonus on one project is only two hundred grand, and honestly that's on the low side."

Raymond, showing off while pretending not to.

At once another wave of gasps and praise went up in the living room.

He swept a hand through the air.

"It's all pocket change. Come on, let's go get that king crab and grouper. After, I'll take you all for a foot soak and a massage."

"Ah, Raymond, you're the best, I could die for you." Then the smack of a kiss.

I didn't have to see it to know. His precious little sweetheart had thrown her arms around him again to show how she felt.

After one more round of fawning came a scramble of footsteps. They were getting ready to head out.

A soft voice spoke up.

"Raymond, should we ask your wife to come along? She didn't seem too happy."

Before he could answer, a snippy, disgusted voice cut in.

"Ask her for what? Sits there with that dead face all day. Just looking at her is bad luck."

"If she hadn't thrown herself at you shamelessly, you think Raymond would ever have looked twice at some pushy old woman like her?"

Cecil snapped at her, "Watch your mouth. She's marrying your brother."

"What did I get wrong? Raymond's a big manager, he's got this gorgeous place, he's good-looking too. He could have any woman he wants."

"She's stingy and sour every single day, gets on my last nerve. She just doesn't want us living here, that's all. Raymond already said as long as I'm happy, I can stay my whole life."

Yvette's shrill voice carried through the whole living room, not bothering to hide one ounce of her contempt for me.

And my wonderful fiance didn't say a word in my defense. He only laughed lightly.

"Right, right, Yvette can stay as long as she likes. I promised you a big house when we were kids, and I'm not going back on it now."

Another smack of a kiss, and a burst of laughter.

I tilted my lips up and slowly closed my eyes. Raymond, this is the last chance I'm giving you.

After dark, the attic door slammed open. Raymond charged in, beside himself, roaring at me.

"Melanie Swanson, why the hell did you change the PIN on the Regent Hotel card behind my back? Give it to me, now. Katherine and everyone's sitting there waiting for me to pay the bill."

2: 2

Behind him came Yvette, seething, her face just as furious.

I sat up, rubbed my eyes, and said flatly,

"Raymond, my mom loaded that spending card for me, specifically so I could take care of my health. If you want to treat your family to dinner, pay for it yourself. Using my mother's money isn't right."

Raymond froze for a second, his breathing turning heavy. Then he glanced back at Yvette and lowered his voice.

"Mel, can you stop being difficult? Everyone's waiting. Just do me this one favor."

"We're about to get married anyway. Whatever your mom put on that card is basically mine too. Give me the PIN, quick."

I couldn't help laughing. How had I never noticed how shameless Raymond was?

What was mine was his, and now what belonged to my mother was his too.

Favor?

The first time he brought Yvette into my home and let her help herself to my makeup and jewelry, I should have kicked him straight out the door.

Instead I couldn't bear to throw away five years of feeling, so I gave him all the face he wanted and let some country girl look down her nose at me under my own roof.

I was about to snap back at him when Yvette cut in, her voice snide.

"Melanie, you're just deliberately making things hard for Raymond, aren't you? You want to keep him under your thumb."

"Raymond, I'm only saying this for your own good. You spoil her way too much. She thinks she's a princess? If it were me, I'd give her a good beating. See if she'd dare make faces at your family then."

"You're just too nice. That's why you let a woman walk all over you."

"Yvette's right. Big brother spoiled you too much."

The blood rushed straight to my head. I stared at the darkening look on Raymond's face, unable to believe those words had come out of his mouth.

Before I could say anything, he stepped up to my bedside and stared me down, his face switching in an instant to that old pitiful expression as he muttered fast and low,

"Mel, Yvette's watching. For the sake of five years together, just do me this favor and give me the card."

I looked at him coldly, and all at once felt sick.

Back when he was chasing me, this was exactly how he'd said he liked me, all pitiful, saying he knew his poor family wasn't good enough for me but he couldn't help missing me and had to tell me.

Every day he brought me a five-dollar breakfast, waited downstairs for me every day, using his own quiet pitifulness to build the image of a devoted man.

And when I hesitated, he loudly announced everywhere that he'd never marry anyone but me in this lifetime, manufacturing the fact of us being a couple.

Back then I was soft-natured and couldn't stand the embarrassment, so under everyone's cheering I let the relationship stand.

After we got together he was attentive enough, considerate enough, so fresh out of school I let him wear me down and got engaged to him.

Later, when my hometown was redeveloped and the payout came to eight million, my mom gave me the money and told me to buy a full-floor apartment as my wedding home.

Back then Raymond had begged me in this same pitiful way.

"Melanie, could you add my name to the new place? Marrying you is already marrying up. If I move into your apartment after the wedding, who knows how those snobs at the company will laugh at me."

"I know I didn't pay a cent for the wedding home, and I shouldn't be asking to have my name added. But you don't want people mocking me as a kept man, do you?"

"Babe, it's just a name. The apartment's still yours. You'll always be my queen, all right?"

Before I could answer, Yvette's impatient voice rose behind him.

"Melanie, have you no shame? What gives you the right to hog Raymond's card and not hand it over? If it were me, I'd slap you across the face. See if you'd still act so smug."

"Raymond, why are you wasting words on her? Slap her across the face. See if she'll still be so cocky."

Crack. The clean sound of a slap rang through the cramped attic.

I lost my balance and fell headfirst off the wooden plank bed, my forehead striking hard against the corner of the wall. Sharp pain exploded, blood welling up and sliding slowly down along my brow bone, blurring my vision.

I stared at Raymond in shock. He'd always been vain and desperate to save face, but he'd still been gentle with me, always trying to please me.

Today, he had actually hit me.

The attic went dead silent.

Raymond caught sight of my bleeding forehead, and half his swagger vanished at once. His eyes darted away, flicked toward Yvette, then he stiffened his neck and put on a hard face.

"Give me the card right now. Don't make me slap you again. I've just spoiled you too much and let you call the shots everywhere."

Looking at the veins bulging on the back of his hand, looking at the smug, contemptuous look in Yvette's eyes, I suddenly went calm. I pulled the five-star hotel card out of my bag and tossed it at his feet.

"Raymond, that slap you just gave me, that makes us even."

Raymond's expression faltered. He crouched down quickly, snatched up the card, then turned and pulled Yvette toward the door.

Just as he stepped out, he spun back and came to the bed, his hand quickly brushing my forehead.

"Mel, that was just a slip. Stop making a scene, all right? When I get back, I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Then he stood up just as fast, took Yvette's hand, and strode downstairs.

Listening to the front door slam shut, I gently touched my throbbing forehead, gave a cold laugh, and dialed my best friend.

"Joanna, help me find a lawyer. I want to recover every dollar I spent during this relationship."

3: 3

I didn't sleep all night. I sorted out the bills, the property payment receipts, the online account records, and sent everything to my best friend's lawyer boyfriend.

By dawn, Raymond and the rest came trooping into the living room, exhausted but thrilled, arms full of shopping bags.

I scrolled through the payment alerts on my phone. In a single night, Raymond had run up a hundred and twenty-eight thousand dollars on my linked account.

Yvette didn't hold back. She kicked off her heels, collapsed onto the couch, and yelled at the top of her voice,

"Melanie, we were up all night. Hurry and get breakfast ready. I want to eat and then get my beauty sleep."

I stood in the living room, staring at the boxes piled everywhere.

A hundred and twenty-eight thousand.

Raymond hadn't just charged a lavish dinner to the card I'd loaded. He'd used my mobile payment account to buy them a hundred and twenty-eight thousand dollars' worth of gifts.

Seeing me, he came straight over, cheap iodine and gauze in his hands.

"Mel, I was too rash yesterday. I'm sorry."

"See, I went out and bought iodine and gauze just for you. Let me bandage it."

He touched the cut on my forehead, his eyes full of tender guilt.

If the sting on my forehead weren't there to remind me, I might have forgotten that the man who beat me yesterday was him, the one who listened to his childhood sweetheart egg him on was him.

Just then my phone rang. Mom was video-calling.

I turned my face away on instinct, out of the frame, not wanting to worry her.

On the screen, Mom was cheerfully asking about the wedding arrangements.

"Mel, be sure to book the very best hotel. You only get married once in your life. Don't give anyone a reason to laugh at you."

"Oh, and the bedding, I ordered you a ten-piece silk set from a good brand. I'll send the pictures in a bit, you pick the pattern."

I just kept my face turned aside and murmured back, mm-hmm.

Beside me, Raymond leaned into the call, his voice sweet and fawning.

"Mom, Mel and I are doing great, don't worry. After the wedding I'll treat her right, I promise."

"You and Dad take care of yourselves too, don't fret so much. Oh, and my godmother and my brother have already come up from back home to help us with the wedding, so you can relax, we'll make it a lively affair."

At that, Katherine Vance stepped forward too, putting on a doting act.

"Mrs. Swanson, the two of them are young, I worried they might not think of everything, so I came all this way to help run the wedding. Please, put your mind at ease."

She held an old brass ring up to the camera and said to me,

"Mel, look, this is my family heirloom. Raymond may be my godson, but he's dearer to me than my own son. This heirloom, I'm passing it to you."

Cecil and Minnie Vance came straight over to me as well and pulled two sets of old red pajamas out of a bag.

"Melanie, honey, I sewed these cotton pajamas myself. Don't turn your nose up at them now."

Then Yvette squeezed in and shoved a four-piece set into my arms.

"You're marrying my brother, so don't go calling me cheap. I picked out this wedding bedding for you specially, went all the way to the department store for it. It cost me a good few hundred."

I said nothing and tugged out one corner of the set. Cheap, glaring pink.

On the screen, my parents looked at the cheap ring and the pink things, and their faces changed too.

Raymond jumped in at once to smooth it over, brazening it out.

"Pink is so pretty. Bright red is tacky and old-fashioned. New-style weddings are what's trending now. Yvette really did think of everything."

Yvette arched a smug eyebrow and said,

"Sir, ma'am, you're older, your ideas are dated, you don't follow the trends. Everyone getting married uses pink now. Who still uses bright red? It just looks dreary."

I didn't want my parents worrying, so I grabbed the phone and hung up. The instant I turned, I heard Mom's alarmed cry,

"Yvette, what happened to your forehead? Is someone hurting you?"

4: 4

The living room went dead silent.

Seeing how cold my face had gone, Raymond came over guiltily, grabbed my arm, and dragged me into the kitchen, then put on that pitiful look again and begged,

"Mel, when Mom video-calls back, just explain it away. Tell her you knocked your head on something during the renovation. Don't let it ruin our wedding."

"Look how good my godmother and her son have been to you. She even gave you the family heirloom."

I let out a scornful laugh at the brass ring in my hand, then turned and threw it in his face.

"Raymond, keep this for your future sister-in-law. It makes me sick."

The ring stung when it hit him, and his expression flickered.

"You've been up all night. Let me help you make breakfast so my godmother and the rest can eat and rest."

As he said it, he suddenly produced a silver bracelet like it was some prize,

"Melanie, look what I picked out just for you. Do you like it? I chose it especially, to make it up to you. No more being angry, okay?"

Looking at the cheap fake stone on that bracelet, I almost laughed from sheer fury.

I'd spent a hundred and twenty-eight thousand, and all I got back was a fake bracelet worth a few hundred.

I turned around, picked up the rice basket, and started rinsing rice for the porridge.

"You're right, honey. Your family is my family. Honoring your mother, your sister-in-law, and your little sister is only what I should do."

Raymond froze for a second, then his face lit up with pure joy. He pulled me into a hug and planted a loud kiss on my cheek.

"Baby, I knew you were the most sensible, most understanding one. I really didn't misjudge you."

In the living room, Yvette watched Raymond wrapping himself around me, and she couldn't take it anymore. She let out a sudden shriek,

"Ow, it hurts so much! Raymond, come look, how did I scrape off this huge patch of skin on my foot?"

At that, Raymond forgot all about cuddling me. He let go and strode straight out.

"Yvette, where? Does it hurt badly? If it's serious I'll take you to the hospital."

He crouched in front of her, took her foot, examined it carefully, and blew on it gently.

Before, this would have stabbed me like needles, and I'd have turned cold at Raymond, and then, under his sweet talk, I'd have let it go and told myself Raymond was just a sentimental man who cared about appearances.

Before, I really was jealous, envious of how close the two of them were. Now I just curled my lip in a cold smile.

By the time breakfast was on the table, all six of them were already seated without a shred of politeness, waiting for me to carry the food over.

Yvette clung tightly to Raymond's arm, whining that she was exhausted and her foot hurt.

Only the moment she saw me did she reluctantly sit up straight.

The instant my eyes landed on Yvette's neck, I froze in place. A glittering diamond necklace hung against her chest.

The same familiar style and color, the same logo as my bracelet.

Before I could even open my mouth, Yvette picked up her porridge and started eating, saying dismissively,

"Raymond, see, I was right, wasn't I? A woman needs to be trained. If you'd listened to me earlier, you'd have set yourself up as the man of the house long ago."

Then she looked at me with contempt,

"Some old women are just shameless, clinging to a man for five whole years. Nothing but an embarrassment to the rest of us."

I clenched my fist, forcing my anger down, and looked coldly at Yvette,

"I clung to him for five years, and he never broke up with me. He proposed eight times, flowers and rings and all."

"Too bad some people aren't even worth as much as a sewer rat, spending every day scheming how to seduce another woman's man. Isn't that more shameful?"

Yvette's face went white in an instant, and she flung her chopsticks at me.

In a flash, I threw a bowl of porridge at her. Yvette was scalded on the spot and burst into a howling cry.

Screw it. Worst case, I lay it all out right now. I'm done holding back. Mom and Dad already texted that they're on their way.

Raymond rushed over at once, grabbing napkins to wipe her clean.

Yvette shrieked and pounded on him,

"Raymond, are you blind? That awful woman actually threw porridge on me!"

"You promised me. You said you'd never let anyone bully me. Hit her back for me, now!"

Raymond looked at me, torn, and the moment he rose to his feet, I glared at him, slamming a plate down in front of him with a bang.

"Raymond, if you dare lay one finger on me again, my dad gets here this afternoon, and he'll break your legs."

Raymond went stiff on the spot, his eyes darting around, and then he shifted to a gentle expression, cleared his throat in front of me, and said,

"All right, all right, everyone stop this."

"Mel, you know Yvette just speaks her mind. She means well for me. And you hit her too. Look how much thought my godmother and the rest put in for you, preparing gifts, helping with the wedding. Just give them a little face."

"Give me thirty thousand, call it your gift as the new sister-in-law. This afternoon I'll take Yvette to buy a few outfits for the wedding. Aren't your parents coming? I'll pick up some gifts for them while we're at it."

Just then my phone chimed. A message from the agent: the client was free this afternoon, could they come by to see the apartment?

I quickly replied with an okay, then went silent for three seconds before saying coolly,

"Honey, I can give you the money. You'd better make sure certain people stop provoking me."

Seeing that I was no longer angry, Raymond broke into a grin, hugging me and kissing me over and over, pouring out sweet talk, "I knew it, my Mel is the most virtuous, the most sensible. That's what a sister-in-law should be. I really didn't misjudge you back then. Marrying you is the greatest blessing of my life."

Swallowing my disgust, I slowly pushed him off and made another entry on my phone's tally. June 12, thirty thousand.

That afternoon, just past one, Raymond took the whole family out to spend.

The moment the front door shut, I gathered up all my documents. At two, the buyer arrived right on time to see the apartment.

Since the place was newly renovated, all the furniture brand new, the location prime, and I was selling in a hurry at ten percent off, the buyer made the call on the spot and put down the deposit.

The instant the agent produced the contract, I signed it without hesitation, done in three seconds.

Countless arguments, and I'd finally seen people for what they were and faced reality.

Let Raymond stay chained to his godsister and her family.

At two thirty, I handed all the paperwork over to the agent to handle and gave the lawsuit power of attorney to my lawyer.

At three, I dragged my suitcase out the front door.

Outside the door, that shabby pink bedding set, the cheap pajamas, and all the luggage of the six Vances and Raymond were dumped by the roadside.

Katherine's shabby brass ring I'd tied deliberately to the front door, and beneath it I'd left a note.

"Raymond, every last cent you spent of mine, you're paying back in full, or wait for the court summons."