The 0% Dad Is A Secret Bitcoin King

CHAPTER 3: THE COLLECTION

Early in the morning, Garrett was awake in his dusty apartment he had paid for with five years of backbreaking sweat, moving quietly through the master bedroom, a pair of tweezers in one hand and three small Ziploc bags laid out on the counter.

He wasn’t packing his clothes. Not yet.

From the rim of the sink, he picked up strands of dark hair left behind on Evelyn’s hairbrush and dropped it into the first bag. Next, he went into Toby’s bedroom, picked up the boy’s toothbrush from the holder, wrapped the bristles in a fresh tissue, and sealed it inside the second bag.

His hand didn’t shake. The crushing panic from yesterday had burned off, replaced by a cold focus.

Just as he slipped the two baggies into the hidden lining of his duffel bag, the sound of a key turning in the front door lock cut through the apartment.

Garrett zipped his duffel up halfway, threw a couple of old shirts over the top and stepped out into the hallway.

Evelyn walked in first, tossing her handbag onto the entry table. She was wearing the same dress from yesterday, but her hair was slightly messy, her mascara faintly smudged around the corners of her eyes.

Right behind her was Theo Hudson.

Theo had taken off his denim jacket, carrying it loosely over one arm. He walked into Gareet’s home with the casual authority of a man who already owned the place.

When Evelyn saw Garrett standing in the hallway, her steps halted. Her eyebrows pinched together in instant annoyance. She glanced at the clock on the living room wall–it was barely eight in the morning.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded, not bothering to hide her sharp edge in her voice. “Why aren’t you at the site?”

For five years, Garrett had been out of the house by 5:30 am every day. If he wasn’t hauling drywall, he was driving shifts across the town. To Evelyn, seeing him standing frozen on a Tuesday morning was practically a crime.

“I’m packing my stuff,” Garrett asserted.

Evelyn crossed her arms, her eyes sweeping over his worn jeans and the dusty duffel bag resting on the couch. “You took time off work just to pack clothes? Are you insane, Garrett? Do you think money just grows on trees? Every hour you sit around doing nothing, you’re throwing away money.”

Theo let out an amused hum behind her. He walked past Garrett toward the kitchen counter, picked up a glass from the drying rack, and poured himself a glass of water from the dispenser.

“Let him be, Evelyn,” Thoe said, taking a slow sip. His voice was calm, dripping with the casual condescension of someone speaking about a troubled servant. “The man is going through a life transition. It’s natural to feel paralyzed.”

Evelyn scoffed, turning back to Garrett. “Paralyzed? He has bills to pay. He still owes his parent’s debts, and he had child support coming up once the papers went through. You don’t get the luxury of taking a day off.”

“I resigned,” Garrett said bluntly.

The room fell into a pin-drop silence.

Evelyn looked at him as if he had thrown some funny jokes. “You… what?”

“I quit my job this morning,” Garrett repeated. His voice was completely flat and lacking anxiety. “I handed in my notice at six A.M.”

With a billion dollars resting in an offshore digital vault, he was done carrying bags of cement for $60 a day. He was done begging for overtime.

Evelyn’s face flushed with anger. She took a step toward him, her finger pointing right at his chest. “Have you completely lost your mind? You quit? Just like that? Because of the divorce? Are you trying to ruin yourself on purpose just to get back at me?”

“I don’t need the job anymore,” Garrett said.

“Oh really?” Evelyn threw her hands up, letting out a harsh, disbelieving laugh. “And how are you going to live, Garrett? Where are you going to get food? On the street? You are thirty-two years old with no savings and millions in debt, and you decide to throw away your only source of income!”

While she stormed the living room, Theo finished his water and set the glass down on the edge of the table. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a pen, and scribbled something on a notepad sitting near the counter before sliding the pen back into his pocket.

​As Theo turned his back to look out the window, Garrett walked casually past the sofa, reached down, and picked up the glass Theo had just drank from. He picked it up by the base, avoiding the rim, and dropped it into the side compartment of his bag alongside a stray hair he’d picked up off Theo's denim jacket on his way past the coat rack.

​Theo turned around just in time to see Garrett zipping the side pocket shut. He frowned slightly, but didn't think much of it.

​Evelyn watched Garrett zip his bag, her anger slowly shifting into something far worse—pity.

A cruel kind of pity.

​She walked over, stopping a few feet away from him, her eyes softening into a fake, practiced warmth.

​"Look at you," she said softly, shaking her head. "I get it now. You're giving up."

​Garrett didn't reply. He stood there, holding the strap of his duffel bag.

​"I know this is hard," Evelyn continued, her voice dripping with artificial sympathy. "I know losing me, losing Toby, losing this house... it feels like the end of the world for you. But throwing your life away and acting like a broken child isn't going to make me come back, Garrett. It just makes you look pathetic."

​Theo smiled quietly, leaning against the kitchen island with his arms folded.

​"Life goes on," Evelyn added, tapping his shoulder with two fingers like she was comforting a beggar on the street. "Sign the expedited waiver today. Move into your old house, find a small job, and try to rebuild whatever is left of your life. Don't make this uglier than it needs to be."

​Garrett looked down at her hand on his shoulder, then raised his eyes to meet hers.

​It was obvious that there was no pain in them anymore.

​Just an emptiness that made Evelyn’s fake smile falter for a moment.

​Garrett pulled his shoulder back, letting her hand fall uselessly into the air.

​He didn't say a word. He didn't tell her about the key in his pocket, the investigators he’d hired an hour ago, or the DNA lab waiting for the baggies inside his duffel.

​Instead, a cold scoff escaped his lips.

​Without saying another word, Garrett slung the duffel bag over his shoulder, turned and walked straight out the door, leaving them standing.