Valerie stood outside the door, frowning. She knew Ashley disliked her, but she hadn't expected such hostility, even though she'd repaid Julian long ago. Not only was her mother trying to sell her marriage for money, but Ashley still held this against her.

At that moment, Ashley stormed from the room and froze upon seeing Valerie, realizing she might have overheard. Ashley avoided eye contact and dragged Aiden downstairs.

"Mom, Dad, no, no fighting!" Aiden cried.

"Keep out of grown-ups' business!" Ashley snarled.

Aiden struggled to keep up, almost falling. Valerie worried. "She's Aiden's mom," she thought. "Even if she's mad, she wouldn't hurt him." Valerie quickly took her gifts to the living room and closed the door to avoid the neighbors.

Julian sat in the living room chair, his head hung low. Surprise flashed across his face when he saw her. "Valerie, why are you here?"

"Did you fight with Ashley again?" Valerie interrupted.

He sighed. "I wanted to buy Aiden a piano—the first thing he's ever asked for. He's mentally challenged and isn't good at much. But Ashley said we couldn't afford it. I've been giving her almost all my salary. How can we not have $4,000? I can't understand our finances."

"Calm down, Julian. How did she explain it?" Valerie asked.

"She said the piano was a waste of money. She said she invested all our money in funds and stocks and lost a lot. She's trapped now," Julian replied.

Valerie frowned. Funds and stocks were a mess lately; even professionals were losing money. And Ashley had risked everything.

Julian continued, "I asked her to withdraw the money, and she got mad and blamed you. Sorry, Valerie. Don't take it to heart. She was overwhelmed. I'll talk to her later."

"I'm fine, really. But you shouldn't have left Aiden outside. He might be traumatized," Valerie said.

Julian was stunned and felt guilty. "You're right. It won't happen again."

Valerie remembered the bank card Julian had given her. She took it out and handed it to him. "Why don't you use this to buy Aiden a piano?"

"No, Valerie, I can't. Don't worry. I'll have my salary in ten days. I'll have the money then," Julian said seriously. "You're married, Valerie, so you should discuss it with your husband before spending money. I hope you learn from what happened to me and Ashley."

Valerie felt disheartened. The whole thing seemed ridiculous. Who in their right mind would dump all their cash into stocks and funds without a backup plan? she thought. Dark thoughts filled her mind. "What if she was scammed?" she blurted out.