I’ve been married to Ethan for four years now. We’re a typical couple with no kids, and we’ve been through our fair share of ups and downs.

I love him, or at least I thought I did until everything changed overnight.

I’ve had my heart set on one dream: visiting my father’s grave in Europe. He passed away a few months ago. I wasn’t able to say goodbye in person, and it’s haunted me ever since. So, I started saving.

I’m a nurse, so it wasn’t easy, but I managed to stash away over $5,000 in a little box in my closet. That money was my ticket to closure, to finally paying my respects. Ethan knew about my goal, and he always supported it, or so I thought.

We weren’t exactly swimming in cash, and we often talked about how tight things were, so we had to budget carefully. I had mentioned to him that I planned to visit Dad’s grave in three weeks, and now I was counting down the days.

A few days later, I got off work earlier than usual and decided to go straight home. Ethan was supposed to be working the night shift that day, but as I got closer to our house, I noticed the light in our bedroom was on.

Curiosity and confusion had me sneaking up to the bedroom window to peek in, and there I saw… MY HUSBAND. What was strange was that he was on his knees in front of our bedroom closet. When I changed my angle to have a better look, I was shocked!

Ethan was taking cash from my secret stash! Wanting to catch him out, I decided to call him from the window. He reluctantly answered after the fourth ring. “Hi, babe, where are you?” I asked, pretending I wasn’t looking straight at him.

“Why are you speaking so softly? I’m at work, I told you I am working the night shift!” he scolded me.

“Oh, sorry, honey, I completely forgot. I wanted to ask you to prepare dinner because I am going to be later than usual coming back,” I lied.

“No, sorry, I can’t help you there. I’ve got to go back to work. Love you, bye.”

He quickly dropped the phone without even giving me a chance to respond. The next thing I saw was him putting on his jacket as he prepared to leave. So I ran to the car and moved it out of sight to a spot where I could see him.

I decided to follow him, and five minutes later, he left the house and headed to the bus stop. I trailed behind him in the dark, and after getting off the bus, he walked for 20 minutes around a shopping center. I was surprised when I saw him walk into a fishing store.

My heart skipped a beat as I muttered, “What’s he doing here?” Parking the car, I quietly followed him into the store but stood hidden. What I saw nearly made my blood boil! There he was, happily chatting with the store clerk and holding the biggest inflatable boat I’d ever seen!

Next to him was a shopping cart loaded with all sorts of fishing gear like spinning reels, tackle boxes—you name it! He looked like a kid in a candy store! Now, Ethan loves fishing, but this seemed out of character.

My mind raced as I wondered, “How on earth is he planning to pay for all of this?” And then the truth hit me like a ton of bricks! My stash! My hard-earned, carefully saved stash! He had to have taken it! There was no other explanation!

Lo and behold, he took out the bag he’d stuffed my money into and paid for everything! I felt my face flush with anger, and before I knew it, I was storming up to him!

“Ethan! What the hell are you doing?” I practically shouted. Heads turned, and my husband looked up at me, eyes wide with shock.

“Lizzy, what are you doing here?” he stammered, trying to shove the boat back onto the shelf.

“I should be asking YOU that!” I shot back. “Did you take my money? The money I’ve been saving for my trip?”

He blinked, his face a perfect mask of innocence. “What? No, Lizzy, you’re overreacting from being overworked. I didn’t take your money. I’ve been saving up for this for months.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! He was lying straight to my face! I felt tears welling up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not here, not now.

“Don’t lie to me, Ethan,” I hissed. “You know that money was for something important. Something that actually matters. And you spent it on a boat?”

“Lizzy, calm down,” he said, reaching out to touch my arm, but I jerked away. “You’re stressed, okay? Maybe you’re not thinking clearly. Why don’t you go home, and we’ll talk about this later?”

I couldn’t take it anymore. I turned on my heel and marched out of the store, ignoring the stares from the other customers. As soon as I got outside, the tears started flowing. I didn’t know what to do. I felt betrayed, humiliated, and completely lost!

Later that evening, my husband came home, the same look of guilt plastered on his face. He stood in the doorway of our bedroom, hands in his pockets, as I sat on the bed, arms crossed, waiting for him to speak.

“Lizzy,” he began, his voice low, “I’m sorry. I took the money, okay? I just really want to go on that trip. It’s a big deal for me.”

It finally dawned on me what was happening. A few days ago, he’d told me about this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fish with his friends and some “real professionals.”

“I get it, Ethan, but we can’t afford this right now,” I said back then as we sat at the kitchen table that evening. “We’ve got bills to pay, and my trip to Europe is coming soon. Can’t you just wait until next year?”

At the time, he’d looked disappointed but nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. It’s just… they said it’s going to be amazing, and I don’t want to miss out. But I get it. We’ll have to make do with a day trip to the local lake.”

I thought that was the end of it, but little did I know that Ethan had other plans!

I glared at him now, my heart pounding in my chest. “You KNEW I was going to visit my dad’s grave in three weeks, Ethan. You knew how much this meant to me. How could you do this?!”

He sighed, “I know, and I’m sorry. But I’ll get the money back in a month. We can push your trip back a little, right? It’s just… this fishing trip is really important to me!”

I stared at him in disbelief. He was actually asking me to delay MY trip to visit my father’s grave so HE could go fishing! The anger I felt earlier was nothing compared to the rage boiling inside me now!

“Unbelievable,” I muttered, shaking my head. “You’re actually serious!”

He nodded, looking almost hopeful that I’d agree. “The trip is booked to happen in a few days, and I’ll be gone for only a week,” he explained.

But I had other plans…

The next day, I woke up with a plan forming in my mind. I called my boss and asked if I could take my vacation earlier than expected. To my relief, she agreed, saying that it wouldn’t be a problem. While Ethan was at work, I spent the morning packing up his new fishing gear.

I packed the boat, the reels, the tackle, everything! I loaded it all into my car and drove back to the store. The clerk from the day before was there, and he looked surprised to see me.

“Hi, I’d like to return all of this,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

He raised an eyebrow. “Return all of it? Is there something wrong with the products?”

“No, I just changed my mind,” I replied, forcing a smile.

The clerk didn’t ask any more questions and processed the return. As he handed me the cash, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction. But I wasn’t done yet.

“Actually,” I said, leaning in a little closer, “I’ve got some other fishing gear I’d like to sell.”

His eyes lit up. “Sure, we buy used gear all the time.”

I returned to the car and came back with every last piece of fishing equipment Ethan owned. By the time I left, I had an extra $2,000 in my pocket and a feeling of triumph I hadn’t experienced in a long time!

When I got home, I packed my suitcase with the essentials, took one last look around our home, and headed to the airport. I didn’t bother leaving a note. I didn’t owe Ethan an explanation. He’d find out soon enough!

The flight to Europe felt like a dream! I spent most of it staring out the window, my thoughts swirling with everything that had happened. I didn’t know what the future held for my marriage, but in that moment, I didn’t care.

All that mattered was finally visiting my dad’s grave and finding the closure I desperately needed. When I arrived at the cemetery the next day, I stood before my father’s headstone. I knelt down, placing a bouquet of daisies, his favorite, at the base of the stone.

Tears filled my eyes, but this time, they were tears of relief. “I finally made it, Dad.”

As I sat there, I thought about my husband, wondering if he’d get upset coming home to find the empty closet, the missing gear, and the silence of our home. Part of me felt bad for leaving him like that, but another felt liberated.

For too long, I’d put his needs before mine, but now, I was doing something for myself! Something I needed to do to heal.

When I returned to the small hotel room I booked, my phone buzzed with a text. It was from Ethan. “Elizabeth, where are you? I came home, and everything’s gone. Please, talk to me?”

I stared at the message, my heart heavy. I knew I’d have to face him eventually, but for now, I needed this time to be with my thoughts, to mourn, and to figure out what came next. I set the phone down. The journey ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear: I was finally at peace.