Lisa is the main provider because her husband, Nick, works as a freelance designer, and she is a doctor. However, Lisa didn’t realize what she was getting into when Nick gave her her Christmas present.
I’m used to offering advise because I’m a doctor, but I never thought I’d need it regarding my marriage.
Since my husband, Nick, is a freelancer who works from home, and I am a doctor with set hours, I am the main provider for our family. Nick pays for our son’s football training, so I have financial control over our household spending.
Additionally, Nick has frequently addressed his work stress or lack thereof, so I know that he has experienced this. Taking care of my family is a blessing since I’ve worked hard to reach where I am, so it hasn’t been an issue.
However, it doesn’t end there.
I didn’t think Nick would do anything extremely lavish for Christmas given our current financial situation. However, Ben, our kid, couldn’t wait to open his Christmas gifts after our pancake breakfast.
As we sat in the living room, I saw that Nick appeared to be happy where he was. Then he gave me a small package containing a stunning gold necklace that was probably more expensive than everything in my closet.
I was quite taken aback and perplexed. I questioned Nick about his source of funding. However, he simply grinned and shook his head.
“No,” I replied. Tell me. You don’t need to worry about paying it back because we can return it.
I said that not so much to let him know how much I valued the gesture, but also so we wouldn’t have to worry about having to repay a huge sum of money. The tension wasn’t worth it, and it wasn’t required.
Nick said, “I’ll tell you everything.” However, I need you to pay attention and comprehend.
I took a seat and heard a tale that completely changed my perspective.
Nick became a millionaire after receiving an account from his parents that had been left to him all these years.
Over the course of our eight years of marriage, Nick had a second life and pretended to work from home. In the meantime, while Nick had been lying to me, the truth was that I worked every day, occasionally pulling double shifts, which prevented me from attending Ben’s football games.
Nick was not working away from his home office as he had convinced me, but rather engaging in hobbies, socializing with friends, and playing games on Ben’s Xbox.
However, it didn’t end there.
Worse, Nick had always insisted on signing a prenuptial agreement. He justified this by saying he respected me and my career and wanted me to know that I would always be safe. In actuality, though, the prenup was just to protect his assets.
Nick now says, “Lisa, you can step down.” With the interest I’ve accrued over the years, we can survive. You don’t have to show up to Ben’s games as the absent mother.
I was perplexed.
Ben didn’t see me as his “absent mother.” I had attended every significant occasion. I didn’t miss any football games until I started working double shifts.
Nick, the silent millionaire, was here to make me feel bad about supporting our family.
I was very mad at that moment. As I sat there, watching Ben play the new game we had gotten him for Christmas, I remembered all the times Nick had said he couldn’t afford to give me a birthday or anniversary present or to fix items for our house.
I recalled all the times he claimed he was too busy “working” and was too exhausted to assist with domestic duties or to pick up our son. To be quite honest, I assumed that Nick’s persistent lack of performance was due to his job-related depression.
He told me that having an iPad for Christmas would allow him to work from anywhere and see Ben more quickly. Nick expressed his deep desire for it, but he was unable to purchase it.
I feel like I’ve been living a lie for the past several days when I’ve been at work in between patients. I explained to Nick that I needed time to process things. I’m conflicted and unsure of how to go.
Nick has been holding onto this money in anticipation of using it. To make sure we have everything we could possibly want, I have been working nonstop.
The gold necklace has served as a constant reminder to me that I need to make a decision.
This is the reason why:
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