Between pre-dawn bakery shifts and late-night deli work, I was drowning. So when I forgot Caleb’s lunch money again, his solution stunned me: “Dad keeps money in the cereal box.” In our financially stretched household, this was news to me.
Rushing home that night, I tore through the pantry. The envelope under the Cheerios contained hundreds – enough to ease our constant money worries. Yet just hours earlier, Marcus had insisted we couldn’t fix our failing car. The deception cut deep.
My spa day revenge was impulsive, but seeing Marcus’ shocked face when he came home to my transformation was satisfying. His confession about potential job loss didn’t excuse the secrecy – we’d always faced challenges together. Now, our kitchen holds an uneasy truce: no more hidden money, but also no quick fix for the broken trust between us.
