Chapter 4: The Money His Mother Had Given Him
“Sarah, there's something you don't know about the money Mom gave me…”
Daniel's voice was barely audible.
I stood beside the dining table, holding my phone with the sponsorship agreement still open on the screen.
Emily had stopped gathering her things. She was watching him carefully.
“What money?”” I asked.
Daniel glanced at Emily.
“Can we have this conversation privately?””
“No.””
“Sarah, she's not part of our marriage.””
“Neither is your mother, but somehow she has a permanent position in our finances.””
His jaw tightened.
“Fine. Mom gave me money last year. That's all.””
“How much?””
He hesitated.
“Twenty thousand.””
I stared at him.
“Twenty thousand dollars?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because she wanted to help us.””
“Help us with what?””
He rubbed his forehead.
“She thought we should make some improvements to the house.””
I looked around our living room.
The furniture, appliances, flooring, and renovations had all been paid for with my salary and savings. Daniel had contributed to the mortgage, but most of the major expenses had come from my personal account.
“What improvements?””
“Kitchen. Bathroom. Some other things.””
“Daniel, I paid for the kitchen renovation myself.””
“I know.””
“And the bathroom?””
He looked away.
“I know, Sarah.””
I slowly placed my phone on the table.
“Then where is the twenty thousand dollars?””
He didn't answer.
Emily folded her arms.
“Daniel, I think that's a reasonable question.””
He shot her an irritated look.
“I don't need you commenting on my finances.””
Emily remained calm.
“Then perhaps you should stop using someone else's money without explaining where it goes.””
Daniel turned back toward me.
“Mom transferred the money to me because she wanted me to have something of my own. She didn't want you controlling everything.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“Controlling everything?””
“You handle most of the finances. You decide what we spend on. You have the savings accounts. Mom thought it wasn't healthy.””
I almost laughed.
For six years, I had been the one paying the mortgage on time, keeping the household budget balanced, and making sure we never fell behind on anything.
Now I was apparently controlling because I knew where our money went.
“Show me the transfer,” I said.
“What?””
“The twenty thousand dollars. Show me the bank transfer.””
Daniel hesitated.
“Sarah, why?””
“Because I want to see it.””
He pulled out his phone and opened his banking application.
After several seconds, he turned the screen toward me.
There it was.
A transfer from Patricia Thompson.
$20,000.
The date was November 14 of the previous year.
I looked at the transaction history beneath it.
Three days later, Daniel had transferred $12,000 to another account.
The recipient's name was Melissa Thompson.
I looked up.
“Why did you send your sister twelve thousand dollars?””
Daniel quickly took his phone back.
“She needed help.””
“With what?””
“Her husband was having some financial problems.””
“Ryan has a full-time job.””
“It's none of your business.””
I stared at him.
“You just told me your mother gave you twenty thousand dollars to improve our house. You sent twelve thousand to Melissa. Explain why.””
Daniel sat down heavily.
“Ryan was behind on some payments. They were going to lose their car.””
“So you gave them twelve thousand dollars?””
“I lent it to them.””
“Did you tell me?””
“I knew you'd object.””
“Did they repay it?””
He said nothing.
I already knew the answer.
I looked at the remaining balance.
Eight thousand dollars.
Another transfer appeared a week later.
$4,500.
The recipient was listed as Patricia Thompson.
“What was this?””
Daniel's face tightened.
“Mom needed it.””
“For what?””
“Property taxes and repairs.””
“Didn't she already give you twenty thousand?””
“She has expenses, Sarah.””
I looked at him in disbelief.
“So she gave you twenty thousand dollars, you sent twelve thousand to Melissa, four thousand five hundred back to your mother, and kept the rest?””
“I used some of it for personal expenses.””
“Such as?””
He stood abruptly.
“This is ridiculous. I don't have to account for every dollar my mother gives me.””
I pointed to the sponsorship agreement.
“Then why did you promise twenty-five thousand dollars a year from my income?””
He went silent.
Emily looked at him.
“That's what I'd like to know too.””
Daniel walked toward the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water.
For a moment, I thought he might finally explain.
Instead, he said, “Mom wanted to establish a family fund.””
“A family fund?””
“Yes. For birthdays, reunions, emergencies, and other important things.””
“And she decided I would contribute twenty-five thousand dollars annually?””
“She thought it would be fair.””
“Fair to whom?””
He turned.
“Sarah, you have a good job. You earn more than everyone else in the family.””
I stared at him.
“You keep saying that as though it gives you ownership of my income.””
“I'm your husband!””
“And you are not entitled to make financial promises on my behalf.””
He slammed the glass onto the counter.
“You're acting like I'm some criminal.””
I didn't raise my voice.
“Then stop giving me reasons to question your honesty.””
He looked at me for several seconds.
Finally, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
“Here. If you want to know everything, read this.””
He dropped it onto the table.
It was a handwritten note from Patricia.
The date was November 13.
The day before she transferred him the twenty thousand dollars.
I unfolded it.
Daniel, I know Sarah earns considerably more than you. I don't understand why you allow her to make all the financial decisions. You are still the man of this family. Your sister needs help, and I need to know that you can take care of your own people.
Below that was another paragraph.
The money I'm giving you is not for Sarah to manage. Use it however you think best. One day, she'll understand that supporting your family is part of being your wife.
I read it twice.
Then I looked at Daniel.
“Did your mother tell you to keep this money secret from me?””
He shifted uncomfortably.
“She didn't want an argument.””
“And you agreed?””
“It was my money.””
“Fine. But why did you use the existence of this money to justify charging my card?””
He looked at the floor.
I picked up the sponsorship agreement again.
“Did you tell your mother I would contribute twenty-five thousand dollars every year?””
He didn't respond.
“Daniel.””
“Yes.””
The word came out quietly.
I felt something inside me break.
Not because of the money.
Because he had apparently been making promises about my future for months while allowing me to believe we were building a life together.
“Why?””
He looked up.
“Because I wanted Mom to stop questioning me.””
I stared at him.
“So you used my money to prove you were a good son?””
He didn't deny it.
Emily slowly closed the folder in front of her.
“Sarah, I think you need to contact an attorney.””
Daniel turned toward her.
“Can you stop interfering?””
Emily stood.
“I'm not interfering. I'm telling her not to ignore what you've done.””
Daniel pointed toward the door.
“Then leave.””
I raised my hand.
“Emily stays.””
He looked at me as though he couldn't believe I had said it.
“Sarah, she's poisoning you against me.””
“No, Daniel. She's helping me see what I refused to see.””
He grabbed his jacket.
“I'm going to Mom's.””
“Okay.””
He stopped.
“That's it?””
“Yes.””
“You're not going to ask me to stay?””
I looked at him.
For years, that question would have frightened me.
I would have tried to reassure him, convinced him to sit down, and promised that everything could be fixed.
But now I knew something.
He wasn't asking me to stay because he was afraid of losing me.
He was asking because he was afraid of losing access to what I provided.
“No,” I said.
His expression hardened.
“Fine. Don't come crying to me when you realize you've destroyed this marriage.””
He walked out.
A few seconds later, the front door slammed.
Emily waited until his car disappeared.
Then she looked at me.
“Are you okay?””
I sat down.
“No.””
She came around the table and squeezed my shoulder.
“You don't have to decide everything today.””
I nodded.
But my eyes had returned to the handwritten note.
Something bothered me.
The note said Patricia had given Daniel twenty thousand dollars.
Yet the sponsorship agreement was created months later.
Why would Patricia suddenly need a twenty-five-thousand-dollar annual contribution from me if she had already been giving Daniel money?
I opened the document properties again.
The sponsorship agreement had been created on a computer at Daniel's workplace.
But the last page contained an electronic signature from Patricia.
I enlarged it.
Then I noticed the date.
Patricia had signed the agreement two days before Daniel submitted it to the restaurant.
I looked at Emily.
“She knew.””
Emily leaned closer.
“Who?””
“Patricia. She knew about the twenty-five-thousand-dollar arrangement.””
I scrolled to the bottom.
There was a small paragraph I hadn't noticed before.
The family sponsor will assume responsibility for outstanding balances associated with all Thompson family events, including previously incurred expenses.
My breathing slowed.
Previously incurred expenses.
That meant Daniel hadn't only planned future celebrations.
He had intended to make me responsible for expenses that already existed.
I called the restaurant manager.
“Michael, I need to ask you something.””
“Of course, Mrs. Thompson.””
“Did Patricia sign this agreement herself?””
“Yes, ma'am. She submitted her confirmation through the event portal.””
“And did she know I hadn't signed it?””
Michael paused.
“I'm not sure.””
“Did she communicate directly with you?””
“Yes. She called yesterday afternoon.””
“What did she say?””
He hesitated.
“She asked whether the sponsorship agreement would remain valid if you changed your mind.””
My fingers tightened around the phone.
“What did you tell her?””
“That we couldn't enforce a payment agreement without proper authorization from the person responsible for payment.””
I exhaled.
“Thank you, Michael.””
After the call, I stared at the document.
Daniel had lied to me.
But Patricia had participated in the arrangement.
And now I had a new question.
What exactly had she promised her son in exchange for making me the family's permanent financial sponsor?
My phone vibrated.
May you like
A message from an unknown number.
*Unknown: Sarah, this is Ryan. We need to talk about the money Daniel borrowed from your mother-in-law. There's something you should know before you confront Patricia again.*
