It all started with a strange request over dinner, something so unexpected that I couldn’t wrap my head around it. But that was nothing compared to the phone call I received a few days later—a call that shattered everything I thought I knew about my husband.
Jake and I had always considered ourselves a modern couple. We split everything down the middle—rent, utilities, groceries. It was fair, and it worked. Or at least, I thought it did.
Then, two weeks ago, Jake dropped a bombshell.
It was a regular Tuesday night. We were sitting at our old, slightly wobbly kitchen table, eating pasta and sipping wine. I was venting about my stressful day at work while Jake scrolled through his phone, only half-listening. And then, out of nowhere, he said it.
“I think you should start covering all the bills.”
I stopped mid-bite, my fork hovering in the air. “Excuse me?”
He finally looked up from his phone, his expression calm like he hadn’t just said something completely insane. “The bills,” he repeated. “Rent, utilities, groceries. All of it. I think you should handle it.”
I blinked at him, trying to decide if he was joking. But then he leaned back in his chair, flashing that smug, self-assured smile he got when he thought he was being particularly clever.
“Why on earth would I do that?” I asked, keeping my voice as even as possible.
Jake grinned wider, like he had been waiting for this moment. “I’ve been thinking about our future. A house, a nice car, maybe even kids someday. I want to start saving seriously, but it’s hard when I’m splitting everything with you. If you cover the day-to-day stuff, I can put my entire paycheck into our savings. For us.”
His tone was so casual, like he was offering to grab some extra milk on his way home, not suggesting that I completely upend my financial life.
I stared at him, trying to process what he was asking. “Jake,” I began slowly, “do you realize how much I already do? I handle the cleaning, the cooking, the errands—”
“Because you’re better at it,” he interrupted with a shrug. “You’ve always said you don’t mind.”
“That’s not the point,” I shot back, my frustration rising. “You’re asking me to take on every expense on top of everything else. Do you have any idea how unfair that is?”
For a brief moment, something dark flashed across his expression. But it was gone just as quickly, replaced by his usual smirk. “It’s not unfair. It’s smart. We’re building a future together, babe.”
I swallowed my anger and forced myself to stay calm. “Let me think about it.”
But in my mind, the questions were already spiraling. Was he just being selfish? Entitled? Or was something else going on? Something worse?
I didn’t have to wait long to find out.
A few days later, during my lunch break at work, my phone rang. The number was unlisted. Normally, I would have ignored it, but something made me pick up.
“Hello?” I answered cautiously.
“Is this Jake’s wife?” The voice on the other end was light and almost cheerful.
My stomach twisted. “Who’s asking?”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” the woman said mockingly. “I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Anna. Jake’s girlfriend.”
The world tilted. “What?”
“Yeah,” she continued breezily, as if she hadn’t just detonated my life. “Look, I don’t have time for drama, okay? Jake promised he’d get us a downtown apartment, but he says he can’t because you’re spending all his money.”
My grip on the phone tightened. “I’m spending his—what are you talking about?”
She laughed, a sharp, cruel sound. “Oh, please. Jake told me everything about you. How clingy you are. How boring. How… completely useless. Honestly, it’s no wonder he’s moving on. A man like him deserves better.”
I felt like I had been slapped. My voice shook. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because you need to let him go,” she said. “Step aside and let Jake have a real chance at happiness. With me.”
Click.
She hung up.
I sat there, staring at my phone, my mind reeling. Was she telling the truth? Was Jake really capable of something so cruel? Or was this some twisted prank?
But as the days passed, things started making sense. The late nights. The secrecy with his phone. The way he dismissed my concerns so easily. It wasn’t adding up.
But Jake didn’t know that I knew. And that gave me the upper hand.
That evening, I found him lounging on the couch, scrolling through his phone like life was perfect. I took a deep breath, forcing a bright smile.
“I’ve been thinking about your idea,” I said lightly.
He looked up, surprised. “Yeah?”
I nodded. “You’re right. I should take over the bills.”
Jake beamed. “I knew you’d see it my way.”
What he didn’t know was that I had already drained our joint savings account. I canceled all the utilities. I even told the landlord we wouldn’t be renewing our lease.
A few days later, Jake woke up to chaos. The electricity was off. The landlord was evicting us. And his beloved savings? Gone.
“What the hell is going on?” he demanded, his face red with fury.
I sipped my coffee, smiling sweetly. “Oh, I found a cute little one-bedroom. For me. You’re not on the lease, so you’ll need to figure out where to live.”
His face twisted in disbelief. “You can’t do that!”
“I already did,” I said simply. “And the savings account? I transferred it to my name. Think of it as payment for the years I cooked, cleaned, and took care of you for free.”
Jake’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and paled. Anna.
I smirked. “Better answer that. I’m sure she’ll love hearing why her fancy apartment isn’t happening.”
With that, I walked out the door, leaving Jake and his mess of a life behind.
Two weeks later, I was sipping wine on my new balcony, enjoying the quiet. Word had spread that Jake was couch-surfing, and Anna had dumped him the second she realized his “savings” were gone.
A text popped up: “Jake’s telling everyone you ruined his life.”
I laughed, raising my glass. “Here’s to my future, Jake. You’re not in it.”
