What He Spent on her

I left Adrian’s office without saying another word.

My wedding ring was still sitting on his desk, and for some reason, leaving it there felt more final than I had expected. I didn’t look back as I walked out. If I stayed any longer, I was afraid I would either start crying or say something I would regret.

I had already given Adrian seven years of my life. I wasn’t going to give him another hour of it by standing there and arguing with him.

I drove home with one thought running through my mind.

I needed to know how much Adrian had lied to me.

The photographs Celeste had shown me kept replaying in my head, especially the expensive gifts and the dates attached to them. I couldn’t stop thinking about the money Adrian had claimed he didn’t have while spending it on another woman.

When I got home, I went straight to the study.

Because of our marriage, I had access to some of the financial records and accounts we used for household matters. I had never had a reason to examine Adrian’s business spending before. I had trusted him to handle that side of our life, and I had never imagined that the same trust could be used against me.

I opened the records and started going through the transactions.

At first, I expected to find a few things that looked suspicious.

I was wrong.

There were payments to expensive jewelry stores, luxury hotels, designer boutiques, private restaurants, and travel companies. Some of the amounts were so high that I had to look at them more than once before I could believe what I was seeing.

My fingers slowly tightened around the edge of the desk.

He had spent thousands on Celeste.

Not once or twice.

Again and again, over months.

I opened another record, hoping I had somehow misunderstood the first one.

The same pattern appeared.

More payments.

More expensive purchases.

More dates I didn’t recognize.

Then I saw one that made me stop breathing for a moment.

The date was around the same time I had asked Adrian for money for my mother’s medical treatment.

I remembered that day clearly.

I had sat across from him at our dining table, trying to keep my voice steady while explaining how badly my mother needed the treatment. I had been scared, but I still believed Adrian would help me because he was my husband.

He had held my hand and told me he was sorry.

He had said the business was struggling and that he couldn’t afford the amount I needed.

I had believed him.

I had even felt guilty for putting more pressure on him.

Now I was looking at a payment made around that same time, and the amount was enough to cover what I had asked him for.

My eyes burned.

“He had the money.”

I whispered the words to myself, unable to take my eyes off the screen.

He had the money.

He simply chose not to give it to me.

I was so focused on the records that I didn’t hear the study door open.

“What are you doing?”

I looked up sharply.

Adrian stood at the entrance.

His eyes moved from me to the records on the desk, and his expression immediately hardened.

I closed the page.

“Nothing.”

“Give me that.”

He walked toward me and reached for the papers.

I pulled them toward myself.

“No.”

“Sera, stop.”

“Why?”

His hand remained outstretched.

“Because those are private.”

I stared at him.

“Private?”

“Yes.”

“You mean the money you spent on Celeste?”

His jaw tightened.

“I already told you that my money is my business.”

I pushed the records toward him.

“Then explain this.”

He looked down at the page.

I watched his face carefully, waiting for even a little guilt.

There was none.

“How long were you planning to hide this from me?”

“I wasn’t hiding anything.”

“You were telling me we were struggling while spending this much on her.”

“Sera, you’re making this into a bigger issue than it is.”

That answer hurt more than I expected.

I stared at him, trying to understand how he could stand there so calmly after everything I had just discovered.

“A bigger issue?”

“Yes.”

I let out a quiet laugh, but there was nothing funny about it.

“My mother needed treatment, Adrian. You told me you couldn’t afford to help me, and around the same time, you were paying for her hotel rooms and buying her expensive things.”

He looked away.

I felt my anger rising again.

“Did you ever intend to tell me the truth?”

“There was no reason for you to know every detail about my spending.”

“I was your wife.”

“And I am the one who earned that money.”

I shook my head slowly.

Seven years of believing we were building something together had taught me how much I was willing to sacrifice for someone I loved. I had given up plans, opportunities, and pieces of myself because I believed those sacrifices were helping us create a future together.

Now I was beginning to understand that Adrian had never looked at our marriage the same way.

To him, what was his had always been his.

What I gave was simply expected.

Before I could say anything else, Adrian’s phone started ringing on the desk.

He glanced at the screen, and I noticed the immediate change in his expression. His face became tense as he reached for the phone.

But I was closer.

I picked it up before he could answer.

“Sera, give me that.”

I looked at the screen.

Celeste.

Adrian took a step toward me.

“Don’t answer it.”

I looked at him for a moment.

Then I pressed the answer button.

“Hello?”

There was a brief silence on the other end.

Then I heard Celeste’s voice.

“Adrian?”

I glanced at my husband, who was standing a few feet away and watching me closely.

“This is Sera.”

She went quiet for a second.

Then I heard the faintest laugh.

“Oh. I was actually wondering when Adrian would be free.”

I stared at Adrian.

He looked uncomfortable now.

For a moment, I imagined myself screaming at her. I could have asked her how long she had been sleeping with my husband or why she thought she had the right to wear my mother’s pendant.

But I was too tired.

I had spent the entire night fighting for answers from people who had no intention of giving me any.

“You can have him.”

I ended the call before she could respond and placed Adrian’s phone back on the desk.

He stared at me.

“Sera…”

“I meant it.”

I turned away from him and walked upstairs.

I pulled a suitcase from the closet and began putting clothes inside. My hands were steadier now, even though my mind was still filled with everything I had discovered that night.

I didn’t know where I was going, and I had no idea what I would do the next morning, but one thing was clear.

I couldn’t stay in that house another night.

A few minutes later, Adrian appeared at the bedroom door.

“Where are you going?”

I continued folding my clothes.

“Away from you.”

His expression hardened.

“You’re overreacting.”

I stopped packing and turned to face him.

“No. I stayed too long.”

He stared at me as if he couldn’t believe I was actually leaving.

“You’re really leaving because of this?”

I slowly closed the suitcase.

“I’m leaving because I finally understand what my marriage has been.”

For seven years, I had believed I was building a life with the man I loved. I had supported him, trusted him, and put his needs before my own without stopping to ask what I was giving up in return.

Now I understood that I had been holding on to a marriage that Adrian had already abandoned.

I picked up my suitcase and walked past him without waiting for another response.

I didn’t know where I was going. I only knew that I couldn’t stay in that house another night.

I got into my car and sat behind the wheel for a moment, trying to decide where I could go. My mind was completely exhausted, and the thought of calling a friend or family member suddenly felt impossible. I didn’t want to explain anything to anyone yet.

Then I remembered the expensive hotel downtown where Adrian and I had stayed a few times whenever we wanted to get away for a weekend. It was quiet, private, and far enough from home that I wouldn’t have to worry about seeing anyone I knew.

I started the car and drove there.

By the time I arrived, I was exhausted. I checked into one of the hotel’s most expensive rooms without even thinking about the price. For once, I didn’t want to calculate what I could afford or worry about what Adrian would say.

I took the key and walked down the quiet hallway with my suitcase behind me. When I finally entered the room, I placed my suitcase beside the bed and closed the door.

The silence that followed felt strange.

For seven years, I had always had someone to think about before myself.

Adrian.

His work.

His problems.

His plans.

Even when I was tired, I had worried about what he needed before asking myself what I wanted.

Now there was no one asking where I was going or when I would be back.

I sat on the edge of the bed and looked around the unfamiliar room.

I had nowhere to go.

And, for the first time in seven years, nobody to answer to.