He Spoiled His Ex's Daughter While Starving His Own

My husband made fifty thousand a month, yet he refused to sign our daughter up for a summer camp that cost only five thousand.

I honestly couldn't understand it.

Our car loan and mortgage had been paid off long ago. What was so wrong about letting Cynthia Gill get out and see the world over summer break?

Last time she came in first in her class, you promised her a trip and then backed out. Now you're doing it again. How do you think that makes her feel?

Oliver Gilbert kept his face cold, not budging an inch.

She's only in third grade. What good is a summer camp going to do her?

I didn't say another word. I just transferred the money to the teacher.

The next day, I went to the mall to buy my daughter's gear, and there was Oliver, standing in an expensive outdoor store.

I thought his conscience had gotten to him, that he was secretly putting something together for Cynthia.

I was about to walk up to him when I saw a woman approach, holding a child by the hand.

Oliver, the camp in Europe costs a hundred thousand. Mia Abbott's only six. This is just too extravagant.

Oliver's eyes went soft.

Denise, stop trying to talk me out of it. I've already paid.

I got you both first-class tickets. Just call me when you land safely.

Right after that, he swiped his card for thirty thousand, buying outdoor gear for the little girl called Mia.

I stood there quietly for a moment, then took a photo and sent it to a lawyer.

I wanted a divorce. And I was going to reclaim every dollar of our marital assets he'd spent on someone else.

——

When Oliver and I first got married, neither of our salaries was high. We scrimped and saved and took out a loan to buy the home we lived in now.

After Cynthia was born, he kept getting promoted and getting raises, so naturally he urged me to quit my job.

Bella, you haven't recovered yet, and Cynthia's still little. My salary's gone up so much, you can easily quit and stay home to raise her.

I thought the good days had finally arrived. But Oliver went right on keeping a tight grip on the household spending.

When Cynthia had just learned to walk, I took her to buy a dress, only for Oliver to frown and pull us away.

Kids grow fast. No need to buy so many clothes. A few to rotate through is plenty.

When Cynthia's preschool painting class needed everyone to buy an easel, he went to the teacher and refused that too.

She's just painting for fun. She doesn't need supplies this nice.

He even went dark in the face on the spot because I threw Cynthia a birthday party at a five-star hotel.

She's such a little kid. Do you really need to make this big a production out of it?

Back then I actually believed it was because Oliver had built everything from nothing, had lived through hard times, and didn't want our daughter growing up spoiled and wasteful.

After our arguments, he used to explain it to me so earnestly.

Bella, we've made some money these past few years, sure, but she's still little. Spending all this on her is pointless when she doesn't understand any of it.

It's not that I begrudge it. I just want to save up more for her. When she's grown, there'll be plenty of places she'll need the money.

Hearing that, I'd hold him and wipe away my tears, blaming myself.

And then it turned out five thousand on his daughter was too much, while he spent fifty thousand on someone else without so much as blinking.

Only then did it hit me.

It was never some long-term plan to build our daughter's character.

In his heart, Cynthia and I simply weren't worth it.

Loaded down with the outdoor gear, I didn't go home. I went to the bank and printed out the spending statement for our joint account.

Looking at the numbers on those statements, I couldn't stop my hands from shaking.

Last month, Oliver said a small investment with a friend had gone underwater and he'd lost a chunk of money.

Cash was tight, he said, so for the next month or two the whole household had to cut back, not spending a single dollar that could be avoided.

At the time I'd checked the balance on the bank card, and sure enough, it was down by two hundred thousand.

So Cynthia and I had kept our monthly spending under five thousand. I'd even agreed to let him cancel Cynthia's extracurricular classes.

But the itemized spending over these past three months seemed to be laughing at how foolish I'd been.