He wanted to keep the expensive things he enjoyed.
So he sacrificed the things his pregnant wife needed.
I looked at Elaine.
Then at Frank.
Then at the man I had married.
“Nick, I want you to stay somewhere else for a while.”
His head snapped up.
“You’re throwing me out over clothes?”
“No. I’m asking you to leave because you stole my belongings, lied about it, hid debt, and gambled while we were preparing for our baby.”
“We’re having a daughter!”
“I know. I’m the one who’s been preparing for her.”
Frank quietly offered Nick the spare bedroom at their house.
Elaine asked whether I wanted help establishing expectations before Nick returned.
I said yes.
Together, we wrote down what needed to happen.
Nick would repay the remaining $330.
He would disclose his debts and credit accounts.
We would verify that the household savings and money reserved for maternity leave were intact.
