Working with numbers had made me careful. I knew every bill and every amount I’d set aside.
For three years, I’d been saving for our tenth anniversary. During a hard year in our marriage, Chris had promised that we would finally take a trip that was just ours.
I held on to that promise. I skipped lunches, worked overtime, and kept wearing an old coat.
I checked the date.
A month earlier, I’d booked refundable plane tickets.
Chris didn’t know.
I was still planning the hotel surprise.
Then he walked into the kitchen and saw the account open on my laptop.
He stopped.
“Why did you take money from our anniversary fund?” I asked.
Chris didn’t know.
His eyes moved to the screen.
“The card balance was higher than I expected.”
“I know what the balance was, Chris. I’m asking why our anniversary fund paid for it.”
He pulled out a chair but didn’t sit down.
“I’ll put it back after my bonus.”
“You spent it on your family’s dinner.”
“I’ll put it back after my bonus.”
“We ate too.”
“I ordered soup and garlic bread.”
Chris rubbed the back of his neck.
“It got out of hand.”
“Of course it did. Serena ordered lobster, her husband chose the most expensive steak, and their kids added desserts. Then you handed me the bill.”
“We ate too.”
“You paid it.”
“Because you let everyone assume I would.”
He crossed his arms. “They’re family.”
“So am I, Chris, but you keep choosing them over me.”
His face tightened.
“Why are you making this so big?”
I closed the laptop.
“They’re family.”
“You took money I saved for us without asking me.”
“I said I’d replace it.”
“With your next bonus?”
“Yes.”
“And what happens after the next dinner?”
He looked toward the hallway.
“I said I’d replace it.”
That was my answer.
“Your father’s birthday is the last family dinner I’ll finance,” I said.
Chris let out a tired breath.
“We’ll talk when you’ve calmed down.”
“I am calm.”
“Come to bed.”
“I mean it.”
“We’ll talk when you’ve calmed down.”
He walked away anyway.
I stayed at the table with the secret plane tickets in my desk and the missing money on the screen.
He didn’t know that he’d spent part of our marriage.
***
The next morning, I met my best friend, Jenny, for coffee.
Jenny knew something was wrong before I sat down.
“Chris took money from our anniversary account,” I said. “He used it to cover another family dinner.”
He walked away anyway.
“Without asking?”
I nodded.
“Did you tell him about the tickets?”
“No. I needed him to understand the betrayal before I showed him what it cost.”
“And did he?”
“Without asking?”
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