Lisa is a doctor, and her husband, Nick, is a freelance designer, which makes her the primary breadwinner. But when Nick gave Lisa her Christmas present, it came with more than she bargained for.
You know, as a doctor, I’ve spent years giving people advice. But never in a million years did I think I’d be the one needing it, especially about my marriage.
I always thought that Nick and I had a good thing going. Everything seemed to fit seamlessly. I’m the primary breadwinner, with steady hours at the hospital. Nick, on the other hand, works as a freelancer from home. His work is irregular, so I manage most of the bills, while he takes care of our son’s football expenses.
And Ben adores his football.
It’s not a perfect setup, but it works. Or so I thought.
Lately, Nick’s been on edge about his workload, or more accurately, his lack of it. He would also be home, sitting at his desk when I go home, looking stressed. He’s mentioned more than once that things have been slow, and I’ve tried to reassure him. But things get tricky when Nick is in a mood.
“I’m sorry, Lisa,” he said one morning as we were packing Ben’s lunch. “It’s just that I get frustrated seeing you run around for work, and I’m just home in the comfort of my pajamas, waiting for someone to contact me with a new job.”
“Keep putting your feelers out, honey,” I said, slicing Ben’s carrots. “Advertise yourself, too. That’s the only way people will know you’re available for new projects.”
“I guess you’re right,” Nick sighed.
I’ve worked hard to get where I am, and supporting my family feels like a privilege, not a burden. Besides, I figured that we were both doing our part, so while Nick waited for new projects, I could keep us going. Easily.
I mean, that’s what marriage is, right?
A partnership.
But I never saw Christmas morning coming. I never thought that everything would change in a moment. I never thought that the betrayal would hit me so hard.
We’d just finished breakfast, Ben’s Christmas favorite, pancakes stacked high with honey, when the excitement of gift-opening hit.
I remember sitting there, feeling a little guilty that I’d been working so many shifts and hadn’t spent as much time with Ben lately. I was trying to make up for it, though, this Christmas was going to be special.
As Ben buzzed around, testing out his new gadgets, Nick handed me a small box. He had this look on his face… like he knew something I didn’t. There was a strange kind of satisfaction there, but I didn’t think much of it at the time.
When I opened the box, I froze.
Inside was a delicate, gleaming gold necklace, the kind that must have cost a fortune. As in, probably amounting to more than my entire closet combined.
“Nick,” I whispered, my heart suddenly racing. “Where… where did you get this?”
He just smiled, the same secretive smile.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “Merry Christmas, my love.”
But I was worried. Something didn’t add up. Nick’s work had been slow—too slow for him to afford something like this.
“Darling, we can return it,” I offered gently. “It’s beautiful, but I don’t want you stressing about paying it off. It’s not worth it.”
Nick chuckled, shaking his head.
“Lisa, don’t you think you deserve it?” he asked. “Don’t you think I’m capable of giving my wife a Christmas present?”
“That’s not what I’m saying, and you know it,” I said, watching Ben put his Xbox on.
“I know, I know,” Nick said. “But you need to let go and lose some control now and again.”
I sighed. I didn’t know where he was going with this.
“Lisa, listen. Just listen, I have something to tell you.”
I nodded, but my stomach tightened. Something was off, and I could feel it crawling under my skin.
“I need you to hear me out, honey,” he said, leaning forward. “Promise me you won’t interrupt.”
What followed was a story that made my hands go cold and nausea take over my body.
For eight years of marriage, Nick had been living a life I never knew about. All this time, I thought he was hustling at home, plugging away at freelance gigs.
But in reality?
Nick wasn’t struggling with his work at all. He didn’t even need the money.
Apparently, his parents had left him a sizable inheritance, one that he had never told me about. Not once. For all these years, that account had quietly grown, making him a millionaire several times over.
While I worked twelve-hour shifts, juggled patients, and missed Ben’s games, Nick was… cruising.
I thought he was drowning in work stress. Instead, he was playing Xbox, meeting up with friends, and indulging in hobbies while I kept us afloat.
And then it hit me: the iPad.
I bought him an iPad for Christmas this year because he said it would help him “work on the go” and make it easier to pick Ben up from practice.
He’d mentioned wanting it for months, but he told me he couldn’t afford it. Of course, I believed him. I even stayed late at the hospital a few extra nights just to earn the bonus that made it possible.
Now I knew the truth. Nick could have bought ten iPads if he wanted. He could have bought enough for Ben’s football friends and their parents.
Nick sat there, calm as ever, while I tried to process everything.
“Oh, and remember the prenup?” he added, like it was a casual afterthought. “I made sure we signed that to protect you. I didn’t want my money to get in the way of us, Lisa.”
I stared at him, completely stunned.
All these years, I’d thought the prenup was about me, about giving me some kind of financial security because of my job. But it was never about me. It was about him safeguarding his fortune.
And then came the final blow.
“You can quit, Lisa,” Nick said softly. “We don’t need your income. We can live off the interest. You won’t have to miss Ben’s games anymore. You won’t have to be the absent mother anymore.”
I felt like I’d been slapped.
I wasn’t some neglectful mother who skipped out on her son at every chance she got. I was working myself to the bone, sacrificing nights and weekends so that we could have a life. So that Ben could be at his fancy private school.
I thought Nick was pulling his weight. I thought we were in this together. But all along, he had let me carry the load alone. And now he was acting like quitting my job was the answer.
“You’ve had all this money,” I said, more to myself than to him. “And you let me… You let me think that we were barely making ends meet. You let me think that you were stressing yourself into panic attacks…”
Nick shrugged, as if it didn’t matter.
“I just wanted you to have what you deserved,” he said. “Now you can.”
Later that day, I sat in the living room, watching Ben play the new video game we’d bought him, and my heart ached.
I thought back to all the times Nick claimed we couldn’t afford something for the house, or the birthdays and anniversaries when I got nothing more than a cheap card.
I’d chalked it up to his struggle with work, telling myself we’d get through it together.
All lies. Every single moment of it.
It’s been a few days since that Christmas morning, and I still haven’t made sense of it all. I told Nick I needed space to think, but I feel like I’m on the verge of a cliff.
I’ve been living in a marriage built on half-truths and secrets, and now I don’t know what’s real anymore.
A few days later, Nick and I sat on the porch, wrapped in awkward silence, the air between us thick with everything unsaid. Finally, he broke it.
“Lisa, do you really want to throw our marriage away because I didn’t tell you something?” he asked. “I had every right to keep it to myself.”
“Every right? Are you being serious right now?” My voice cracked, but I kept going. “You lost that right the moment you married me!”
He leaned back, crossing his arms.
“Lisa, it’s my money. My parents left it for me. Why did you need to know? What difference would it have made? Would you have stopped working? Wanted to become a housewife?”
“Definitely not! I love being a doctor, Nick! I love my job.” I exhaled sharply, trying to keep my emotions in check. “But knowing you had money—real money—would’ve changed how I carried the weight of this family. I wouldn’t have been killing myself with double shifts, missing Ben’s games, thinking everything rested on me.”
Nick threw his hands up. “So now you’re blaming me because you worked too hard?”
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. “You’re either not listening to me or you think I just want you for your money. Which is it, Nick?”
He shrugged, dismissive.
“I’m hungry. Do you think you could make some wings and fries? I could kill for a good plate of wings right now.”
I blinked, stunned at the absurdity of his request. Wings? That’s what was on his mind? Not the fact that our marriage was hanging by a thread?
“Nick,” I said quietly. “I need you to take your money and go. Book a hotel. Just… leave. I need time to think.”
“Think about what? Our lives are easy now. You know about the money, what’s there to think about?”
“I need to think about whether I even want to stay married to you.”
“Lisa… you’re being dramatic.”
“No, Nick,” I whispered. “You’ve become a stranger to me.”
It’s been three weeks since that conversation. Nick moved into a hotel, though he’s been texting me every other day, telling me I’m overreacting and that I should come to my senses. He seems more annoyed than sorry, which makes my choice clearer every day.
I still wear the gold necklace. Not because I love it—no, I can barely stand the sight of it, but because it reminds me of the decision I have to make.
Do I stay, forgive the lies, and try to rebuild with a man I no longer recognize? Or do I walk away from the person who let me believe I had to carry everything on my shoulders, just so he could live comfortably in the shadows?
This wasn’t the Christmas gift I expected.
But it’s the one that has changed everything.
What would you have done?
If you’ve enjoyed this story, here’s another one for you:
As a Single Mom, I Was Nervous to Remarry – What I Found in the Fridge the Morning After My Wedding Left Me Pale
After years of single motherhood, I thought I’d found my happily ever after. But the morning after my wedding, I opened the fridge to make breakfast and discovered something that made my blood run cold. Had I just made the biggest mistake of my life?
I never thought I’d remarry after my divorce. But when I met Jason, I felt that spark again. He was kind, understanding, and great with my daughter. I thought he was perfect.
Little did I know, the morning after our wedding would change everything.
It all started three years ago when my ex-husband and I split up.
Read the full story here.
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
