Following a heated argument, Caleb verbally abuses his wife Denise. She drives off in a luxury automobile the following day. Caleb finds out that Denise received a sizable inheritance from a departed relative. He makes an effort to mend their connection and put things right with her. Will he be successful, though?It was going to be a nice evening. Sam and Kate, two of Caleb and Denise’s pals, were around for supper.

Denise spoke animatedly about her recent trip as they were eating, but Caleb appeared apprehensive and aloof. “It was wonderful, you know,” Denise said. “I’m planning a surprise for Caleb, but it’s a secret for now.”Despite trying to smile, Caleb appeared disturbed. When it was his turn to speak, he spoke out about his difficulties.

“I’ve been going through a rough patch,” he said. “I lost my job unexpectedly, and our bills are piling up.” Sam and Kate appeared concerned. They felt terrible for Caleb since they knew he was a dedicated man.”Caleb, that sounds really tough,” Sam remarked. “Can we help in any way?” “Sure, do let us know. We’re here to support the two of you,” Kate continued.

Caleb let out a sigh. “I appreciate your assistance, folks, but I’m trying to find work. Simply put, times have not been kind.””Honey,” Denise said. “It will improve. Do not allow this to depress you. We must be upbeat and resolve this together.” But Caleb wasn’t feeling upbeat, and Denise’s remarks just made him more irritated. He said, “You’re always acting like everything is fine!”

The atmosphere became awkward. Denise attempted to bring up her trip again, but Caleb interrupted her with a rage, “Okay, quit talking about it, Denise! Give up pretending everything is alright. We are facing serious issues! And why have you been blowing your money lately? What was the true purpose of that trip?” “Hey, buddy, maybe this isn’t the best time for this talk,” Sam interrupted.

In an attempt to lighten the mood, Kate said, “Yeah, let’s enjoy the evening.” However, it was unsuccessful. With a heavy stillness, the evening came to a close, and Sam and Kate went early.Now that they were alone in their house, Caleb addressed Denise because he was furious about how the evening had gone. “You don’t believe in me,” he remarked while pacing. “You’re overspending. You used to be concerned about your diet, but these days…”

Denise looked horrified. Caleb, how are you able to say that? “I’m making a lot of effort,” she answered, trembling. He growled, “It’s just the truth, Denise!” “You’ve abandoned yourself! You’re so obese that you can’t even pass for human. Have you not seen Kate? She’s in such good shape!”

Denise was injured. “You don’t think I’ve tried hard enough? You can’t say this to me, how? I’m not able to handle this any longer!” Sobbing, she hurried to their bedroom. Although Caleb realized he had treated her badly, he was too arrogant to say sorry. He set the TV to divert his attention. I spent the entire night feeling misinterpreted and alone.

Caleb woke up in the guest bedroom the following morning. Aside from the sound of a door slamming shut in the distance, the house felt strangely silent and vacant.He got out of bed and padded up to the window, feeling uneasy. He glanced through the curtains and noticed Denise outdoors. Her hair was done nicely, and she wore a clothing that was simple but attractive.

Caleb’s focus was drawn to the elegant black Rolls-Royce that was parked in front of their humble house. Caleb watched a man emerge from the driver’s side, and his gaze furrowed. Denise entered the car with an elegance that Caleb had not seen in a while as he held the passenger door open for her.
That man was who? Why was Denise seeming so content with him?

When Caleb tried to call her, she didn’t pick up. He decided to look around their bedroom in a state of worry and confusion, trying to find any hint that would help explain her unusual behavior and the new man in her life.He discovered correspondence there that disclosed Denise had inherited $500,000 from a distant, departed relative. Given their financial situation, Caleb was startled and felt betrayed that Denise hadn’t told him about this.

Choosing to make amends and win her over, Caleb nervously but optimistically went to Denise’s office and purchased her favorite chocolates and flowers. “Denise, I apologize. “I was mistaken,” Caleb declared, extending the flowers. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you last night.” They were cut off before she could reply. A voice said, “Is everything okay here, Denise?”When Caleb looked back, he noticed James, the Rolls-Royce driver. He shouted, “What are you doing here?”

“Just giving Denise an update. Is something wrong?” James gave a circumspect reply. “Aren’t you pursuing her in order to obtain her money? Simply withdraw!” Startled, Denise attempted to soothe Caleb. “Caleb, please, this isn’t the place.” However, Caleb was too agitated and continued to argue, drawing looks from the other patrons. James made the decision to go in order to stop the fight. With tears in her eyes, Denise turned back to face Caleb.

“You’re the one who is here because of the money, Caleb,” she replied. “You don’t care about us, despite all of your excuses and the flowers. The inheritance is the reason for this. Correct?” Caleb gave her a direct glance. “I’ve supported you and loved you for who you are. And you’re prepared to discard me in favor of a younger man now?” he yelled.

Is that how you perceive me? that our years together are not valuable to me?” The security guard stopped Caleb before he could start causing trouble and instructed him to leave. Caleb recognized his error outside. His attempt to mend his relationship with Denise had been ruined by his pride and fear. Caleb felt confined and alone at home. He sipped whiskey, attempting to block out his problems. Upon glancing at the bills, he became acutely aware of his debt.

Then his mind went back to Denise. He whispered, angrily, “She’s replacing me with a younger man.” It was intolerable to think of the woman he had spent so many years with being held by someone else.Embarrassed, Caleb poured another drink for himself. He yelled, “Where did I go wrong?” but nobody had any response. Glancing about their peaceful home, he realized he may lose everything.

Caleb drank more as the evening went on in an attempt to block out his problems. He considered the inheritance, the younger man, and Denise. His rage and desire for retribution increased. Then Caleb had a risky notion. He went to the garage and, his hands shaking, poured gasoline into a container from a canister. The fact that he got the liquid on his clothes didn’t bother him. He intended to make Denise feel guilty about everything.

After grabbing the fuel, he got in his vehicle and headed to Denise’s workplace. He wanted to get even with her, so he was enraged and not thinking straight. Though he knew in his heart that it was immoral, he persuaded himself that Denise deserved what was coming. Caleb’s vehicle came to a stop in the parking area close to Denise’s workplace. He took the gasoline and used it to cover Denise’s expensive car completely before lighting it on fire.

A roaring fire broke the stillness of the night. In the process, Caleb’s jacket unintentionally caught fire, and he instantly felt the intense heat and pain of the burns. He had put out the fire on his jacket and was puffing, tired. He panicked when he heard the sound of sirens in the distance; someone must have noticed the fire and phoned for assistance. His heart pounded as he turned and started to run.

But all of a sudden, the anguish became unbearable and the world began to whirl around him. His breathing became laborious and his knees buckled. As he hit the ground, the sounds of the night faded away and his vision became blurry.There in the hospital room, Caleb awoke. When she saw he was awake, the nurse went to his bedside and got out her clipboard.

She whispered, “Mr. Johnson, you’re awake.” “You’ve sustained some serious burns, but you’re out of danger now.” Though his head was still cloudy, Caleb’s memories of the previous night—the fight with Denise, the gasoline, and the fire—came flooding back. Denise entered his room via the open door before he could reply “What brings you here? To witness how you’ve destroyed me?” With an angry question, Caleb winced at the searing pain that was all over his body.

“I’m here because I care,” a dejected Denise said in response. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Sensing their anxiety, the nurse offered to give them a little privacy. She said, “I’ll be outside if you need anything,” and stepped out of the room. Denise said, “I wanted to help you, Caleb.” “I was prepared to use the inheritance to settle all of our bills. All I wanted was for you to recognize our blessings and value our time spent together.”

Caleb squirmed uncomfortably on the bed, his face wrinkled. “Can you help me? through igniting my jealousy?” “Yes,” Denise muttered in response. “I reasoned that by making you a little envious, you would realize how important the two of us were. That’s the reason I had my coworker James pick me up in the Rolls-Royce that I had hired. Caleb, it was all staged. James and I never had a relationship.”

“Why go through all that instead of just talking to me?” “Caleb, I tried. However, you refused to listen because our money issues were taking up all of your time. I reasoned that you would perceive things differently if I made a big gesture. Caleb, you did something that required me to spend nearly all of the inheritance money.”

Caleb felt his heart sink. He was starting to realize how big of a mistake he had made. “We didn’t own the Rolls-Royce. It was leased. And I had to compensate for the loss after you burned it. Caleb, it was a lot of money. The remaining funds were necessary for your care while you were in the hospital. The care you need and the burns you sustained were costly.”

Caleb stumbled, “Denise, I… I don’t know what to say,” “I never… I didn’t think…” The sterile hospital room became oppressively quiet as Denise took out a stack of documents from her suitcase. “These are the documents for a divorce. I’m done with this for now. She said, “I never want to see you again,” and dropped the papers at his side. Despite his crushed heart, Caleb was unable to stop her. Their marriage ended when Denise moved out.

Caleb was working in a café years later. He scrubbed dishes for a living after losing everything, including his job and house. Because this work kept him afloat, Caleb never ventured to defend himself when his boss chastised him for being slow. Sometimes he felt self-conscious because of his obvious burn scars. Caleb once noticed Denise in the café, appearing contented with a different man.

Witnessing her, he was struck with profound regret as he realized how much his actions had cost him. He was stuck in a boring job now, a long cry from the life he had imagined he would lead with Denise. Caleb observed the man helping Denise into her coat with a delicate touch as they got up to depart. Unable to take his eyes off them, Caleb followed them as they made their way to the front of the café.A modern Rolls-Royce waited outside.

Denise’s life seemed very different from Caleb’s, as evidenced by the ease with which she got into the car once the man opened the door for her. Tormented by the idea of Denise moving on without him, he carried on with his work. As the day came to an end, the café was quiet, leaving Caleb alone himself with his regrets and thoughts. Denise was lost to him forever.