“And?”
“She said because if you got comfortable, you’d never leave.”
Ruth blinked.
“Three weeks of insurance repairs became forever?”
“I said that.”
Kevin looked up.
“Then she told me to choose.”
Ruth’s hands tightened around the cup.
“Between?”
“You and her.”
“Oh, Kevin.”
“I told her I wouldn’t make that choice.”
His voice shook.
“She said refusing was choosing you.”
Ruth reached across the table, then stopped.
“May I?”
He nodded.
She took his hand.
“What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know.”
“That is allowed.”
“I feel stupid.”
“That is not useful.”
“I let this happen.”
“You adapted to it.”
“That sounds nicer.”
“It is not nicer. It is more accurate. You also participated in hurting me last night by going quiet.”
Kevin flinched.
Ruth squeezed his fingers.
“Both things can be true.”
He nodded.
By afternoon, Kevin had scheduled an appointment with a counselor through his employee assistance program. He also opened an individual checking account for the first time in nine years.
He did not drain the joint account.
He did not hide money.
He redirected part of his next paycheck to an account he could access and downloaded records of the household finances.
That simple act revealed another problem.
Natalie had not stolen from him.
She had controlled information.
Several credit cards Kevin believed were nearly paid off carried significant balances. A home-equity line had been opened with his signature months earlier; he remembered signing documents Natalie described as a refinance packet, but he had never been given copies.
He called the lender and requested them.
Then he called Ruth.
“Did you know about any of this?”
“No.”
“I’m sorry. I thought maybe she had asked you for money.”
“She didn’t.”
Ruth paused.
“And if she does, my answer will be no until you understand what is happening.”
Kevin exhaled.
“Good.”
Ruth smiled despite herself.
