Wife Finds Out That Her Husband Is Hiding Millions of Dollars from Her – Story of the Day

After Julian's gambling addiction, Val is constantly concerned about the state of their savings. When he tells her that he has to go out of town for a conference suddenly, Val's paranoia is at its worst. Later, she sees that their bank account has a pending transfer for millions.

Valerie changed out of her work clothes, a pantsuit that made her feel powerful and confident, and in the world of journalism, that was her secret weapon. She tied her hair up and went to the kitchen to make dinner. Julian had wanted them to go on a date night, but she had gotten home too late and had to make it up to him with a good home-cooked meal.

"Julian," she called out in the direction of the living room, not turning away from the stove. "What do you have planned for this weekend?"

She hoped he would want to take a road trip or do something fun. She had been working such long hours lately and wanted to take a break. If anything, the knots on her shoulders were begging for a spa day.

Julian walked into the kitchen with his laptop tucked beneath his arm. Valerie added the pasta sauce to the pasta and turned around to set the table. She watched as Julian's features momentarily masked themselves by a mix of concentration and something else – something elusive.

"Oh, uh, this weekend?" he replied, his voice casual. "I've got a last-minute work thing. A conference. It's out of town. They want me to attend. But they did say that depending on how the weekend goes, they may extend it for the entire week."

That makes no sense, Valeria thought to herself. Nobody would let a conference run into the week without proper planning. Is he up to his nonsense again?

"A conference?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "Since when do they spring these things up with such short notice?"

Julian chuckled nervously, and Valeria was glad he was uncomfortable. She needed to see that there was some form of remorse after what he had put them through.

"You know how it is, Val. Sometimes, these opportunities just pop up. And it's a big deal, you know? I can't really say no to the big guys."

Val studied him for a moment, the suspicious gnawing at her. She didn't want to be this person – the one who constantly tried to get under Julian's skin. But at the same time, there was no way that she was going to put herself through the trauma of his addiction again. She had to believe that rehabilitation had worked.

And for that, she had to constantly remind him that she would not let her guard down.

"And they couldn't have told you sooner? This sounds a little bit odd, Julian," she said.

Julian sighed, and she immediately felt terrible.

"I know, I know," he said, getting the sparkling wine out of the fridge. "But it is a last-minute thing, Val. They need me there, and it's crucial for my job. This is good, I promise you. Besides, it's only for a week. I promise you; I'll make it up to you."

Val sighed. She turned around and grated a block of parmesan cheese into the pot.

"Okay," she said. "I'm sorry, I was just hoping to get out of town as well."

"Then, do that. Call Lou and tell her that you want to take a trip. Even a day trip, getting your nails done, and having a meal together. I'll fuel up your car before I leave. How does that sound?"

She felt bad. Val genuinely felt like she had overreacted.

But his actions in the past have always messed with you, she thought. If he hadn't taken matters into his own hands, you would still live in the three-bedroomed house. You would be thinking about having children. But you can't because you cannot afford to.

"Sure, yeah, that sounds great."

Yet, as the words flew out of her mouth, her suspicion of Julian deepened. She plated their dinner while he poured the sparkling wine into two glasses and carried it out of the room.

"Where are you going?" she asked, putting the plates on the table.

"Let's eat in front of the TV tonight, we can watch a movie. And I'll do the dishes," he said.

"Sure, why not," she said.

See, she thought to herself as she plopped down on her side of the couch. He is trying to be sweet. Maybe he truly has learned his lesson.

Later, Val lay in bed watching Julian sleep. She couldn't shake that the conference had come up too suddenly and at the last minute. She knew that something was amiss, but she also knew that their marriage had been fragile since Julian had returned home from rehab. Ever since she had been trying to get back to normal while reminding him that she was watching his every move.

If I keep picking at the conference, she thought as she turned over to face the ceiling in the middle of the night, he will pull away again. He will close himself to me, and I don't know what will happen then.

She fell asleep, cursing that she had planted the seed of doubt in her mind. Now, it would nag her until he came back, and she knew she would constantly check the banking app on her phone. She would make sure that he wasn't taking more money.

When she eventually fell asleep, Val dreamt of the neon lights of a casino and the loud sounds from the slot machines, which only got louder and more terrifying as she walked through a world she had never wanted to set foot in again.

*

The next morning, Val walked into the bathroom as Julian was shaving. The smell of his shaving cream made her feel at ease and comfortable – a smell she had known for most of her life.

"So, this conference, where exactly is it?" she asked.

"Val," he began and then paused. She knew he was picking his words carefully. "It's a few hours away, a little town – mainly industrial. I think they do a lot of manufacturing there. They've booked me into a hotel, and I'll be attending sessions throughout the weekend and possibly every day for the week if they extend it. It's all work-related, Val. I promise you. I need you to believe in me. I don't want to fight."

"I don't want to fight either," she said, and she meant it. "But please leave details for me to contact in case of an emergency, and you know I'll have my phone on me at all times if you need me."

"Yes, Mom," he grinned at her from the mirror and continued to shave. "I know why you're questioning me, and I understand. I'm okay with that. But I need you to trust me. This is for us, for our future. If I do well at work, I can provide bigger and better things for us. This conference is leading up to a big project, and I need to be there. I'll make it up to you when I get back. You choose what we do, where we go, everything."

"Okay," she agreed. She hugged him from the back and went downstairs to put the coffee on before she got ready for work as well.

*

Val sat in traffic, already nibbling on the trail mix she had packed for her lunch. Like everyone else, she hated traffic, but at the same time, she liked the fact that it allowed her to think.

She was still exhausted from her little sleep, and the snacking kept her from falling asleep at the wheel. Val put the radio on, hoping the music would keep her awake. She bobbed along to some song, which made her think about her family's summer at an old uncle's Lakehouse.

*

The warm glow of the setting sun cast a soft, golden light in their living room. Julian and Val sat on the couch; architectural plans spread before them. Val felt excitement tingle all over her body as she and Julian discussed their home renovation – the expanded kitchen, the spacious master suite, and the beautiful garden they envisioned.

Julian grinned at her, and Val could see that he was just as excited to begin their new life – after this, they could start family planning.

"This is going to be amazing, Val. Our dream home," he said.

She smiled back at him, seeing her dreams come to life in the near future.

"And it's worth every penny. We've been saving for this for so long, and it is finally within reach," she said.

But then, Julian's expression shifted, a hint of hesitation dimming his excitement.

"About that, Val," he said. "There's something I need to tell you."

Val's stomach lurched.

"What is it, Julian?"

He took a deep breath, and his eyes shifted to the ground.

This can't be good, she thought to herself.

"I've made some investments recently because I thought I could multiply our savings. You know, to make the renovation even more incredible."

"Investments? Julian, we agreed that the money was for the house and the house alone. What kind of investments are we talking about?"

Val watched him closely as he hesitated. The weight of his confession seemed evident in the pause.

"I may have tried my hand at gambling. It started small, just fun, but I've lost more than anticipated."

"How much?" she asked simply.

Julian just shook his head.

"How much?" she asked louder this time.

"The savings, Val, most of it is gone."

"Gambling?" Val's voice rose, and she pushed the renovation plans away from her. "How could you, Julian? We worked so hard, and this is for our future! We needed to take this step to plan for a baby. I'm not getting younger!"

"I know, Val. I messed up. I thought I could turn things around, but it got out of hand. And every time I lost something, I just wanted to try again and make more. I'm so sorry," he said.

Tears welled in her eyes. She was angry, but she was also so tired. She was tired of the fact that she had been working longer hours and taking on more articles than she needed to take. She had been saving as much as she could – not because she had to, but because Julian was doing the same.

And she wanted to meet him halfway. She wanted to ensure that everything they put into their savings went toward the house.

It was a big step in their plan.

But now, looking at Julian, she felt that everything had changed. Val felt a sense of loss that she didn't know was possible – she had only known the loss of people before.

Julian reached for her hand, remorse heavy in his eyes.

"I'll make it right, Val. I promise you. I'll find a way to fix this, to rebuild what I've broken."

*

The hoot of the car behind her pulled Val out of her memories. The memory of Julian's gambling revelation echoed loudly in her mind as she drove on. She began to wonder if her paranoia was just in overdrive or whether her instincts were correct.

Val tried to figure out whether the conference and the unspoken tension she felt connected to the web of lies that Julian had woven months ago.

She wondered what would happen if he was really tied up into another gambling problem. What would happen if they were both entangled in a dangerous game that threatened to unravel their lives. It hadn't stopped with their savings before; she couldn't be sure what would come next.

"No," she said as she parked the car. "He went to rehab. He has changed. This is just work."

*

The bustling newsroom greeted Val as she walked in. The sounds of ringing phones, clacking keyboards, and hushed conversations. Val sat at her desk, staring at her computer screen but unable to concentrate. The weight of the truth about Julian's gambling problem bore down on her. She felt that she was being unreasonable, and to some extent, she knew she was.

Julian had put in the work at the rehabilitation center. When he felt strong enough, he had gone to the casino to have a meal and seemed fine – not triggered by the sounds he had known well. He was fine.

But Val knew that things could change in a minute. And he could fall off the wagon. What else could they lose this time? The house?

She needed an outlet. Glancing across the room, she spotted her best friend and colleague, Lou, typing furiously at her desk.

Val stood and walked over to Lou's desk.

"Hey, Lou, do you have a minute?" she asked.

Lou looked up, a smile on her face.

"For you, always. What's on your mind, Val?"

"Let's go to the breakroom and make some coffee," Val said.

They went to the breakroom, and Val was grateful it was empty. She checked the urn to ensure enough boiling water was in it. Lou opened the fridge and handed her the milk.

"It's Julian," she said. "He's going away for a week on this supposed worked conference, but I cannot shake the feeling that something is off."

She took two mugs from the cupboard above Lou and spooned the instant coffee into each. She added an extra heap to her mug.

"He dropped the news on me out of nowhere last night, and I just cannot help but think that it's connected to his past, you know?" Val continued.

"By past, you mean the gambling issue?" Lou asked.

Val nodded and gave Lou her mug of coffee.

"It cost us all our savings, and the house never got renovated. But then, as we were making the savings up again, he got deeper into it. We had to move out of the house and into the one we are in now – which is half the size. And don't even get me started on the car being repossessed last year. It's been a lot."

"And you think that his old habits might be resurfacing?" Lou asked as she sipped on her coffee.

"I have no clue. But I do feel bad. Instead of trying to support Julian, I'm here looking for any leads to his past. It's like I'm trying to hurt him. And I hate the thought of that. But I'm scared, Lou."

Lou reached out and put her hand on Val's arm.

"I understand that Val. Everything changed for you guys because of Julian's addiction. So, with that being said, I'm sorry that you're going through this. You know that I am here for you. And maybe you should keep a close eye on the finances to be safe. And trust your instincts – it's what makes you a great journalist. If you feel like something is off, then it probably is."

Val nodded, appreciating the support from her friend. She knew that Lou would call her out if she was being unreasonable – it was something that they prided their friendship on.

"I just don't want to go through that uncertainty again, Lou. It feels like I'm on the edge of a precipice, and I don't know if we'll come out of this unscathed – if it's another gambling issue, I mean."

"Look, I think this is good – let Julian go to his conference of whatever. But like I said, keep an eye on the finances the entire time he's gone. And if you find yourself going crazy, come over to me, and we can drink cheap wine and eat pizza and fries. Okay?"

Val laughed, and they walked back to their desks to continue working. But even though she did feel a little lighter, she still couldn't shake the looming uncertainty in her personal life. Despite it all, Val put her head down and began to work. She had deadlines to meet and money to earn.

Val and Julian stood in their driveway, surrounded by the flowers she had planted herself. A tow truck idled nearby at the end of the driveway, its flashing lights stressing her out by the minute. Their sleek, black Sedan sat in the driveway, waiting for the repossession man to finish his paperwork.

Val's eyes flickered between the tow truck driver and Julian, searching for an explanation.

"Julian, what is happening?" she demanded, her voice wavering with a mix of confusion and anxiety. She stood there feeling the same way she had felt when Julian told her about their savings going down the drain.

He shifted uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact with her.

"It's just a misunderstanding, Val. I forgot to pay the bills on time, but I'll sort it out. I'll definitely sort it out by Monday. Don't worry."

The tow truck driver, a burly man with little patience, approached them.

"Listen, I've got a job to do, kids. If the payment cannot be settled in the next few minutes before you sign, then the car goes," he said, handing the clipboard to Julian.

Val's eyes widened, the reality of their situation sinking in.

"Julian, really?" she asked simply.

"It's been a busy month, honey," he said. "And I got caught up with work. I promise you, I will fix this."

Val closed her eyes. His words felt so rehearsed. If she could remember correctly, she bet he had said those exact words the last time.

"What about the money we set aside for the bills? Where did that go?" she asked calmly.

"I had some unexpected expenses. I thought I could make it back in time, but I guess time just got away from me."

"Unexpected expenses?" Val exploded, her frustration finally boiling over. "Julian, we agreed that the bills and our financial stability came first. What happened to the money? Tell me truthfully, this time."

Val felt herself becoming cold. She stood there waiting for Julian to speak. She stood there waiting for him to reveal the truth and finally make everything fall into place.

"Please sign the form," the tow truck driver said.

Julian signed the form and gave it to the driver. Then he gave him the keys to their car.

"Anything you need to take out of the car?" he asked them.

Julian shook his head.

"I took everything out when I got the phone call about you coming over," he said.

The tow truck driver nodded and left to attach the car to the tow truck.

"Are you ever going to answer me?" Valerie asked Julian.

"I lost it, Val. I tried to recoup some losses through gambling, thinking that I could turn things around. But it only made things worse."

"Again? Julian. How could you risk our home, our bills, the car?"

"I thought I could fix it, Val. I thought I could win it back," he said, the weight of his admission settling over them.

The tow truck driver hooted at them and drove off.

Val sat back in her chair. She was nearly done with her day. Most of her colleagues had already left, eager to begin their weekend. Val had met all her deadlines and was proud that she managed to finish any work.

Her mind was still heavy with the thought of Julian and his work conference.

I hope to God that it's true, she thought as she edited her final piece of the day.

"Hey, Val," Lou called out. "Ready to head out?"

"In a minute," she replied. "Should we grab dinner? I'm sure Julian has already gone away."

"Yeah, sure!" Lou said. "Let me know when to log off. I'm looking at different hairstyles – I will do something different with my hair this weekend."

Val nodded and turned back to her computer. She logged onto her and Julian's shared bank account, which they put all their savings into.

Everything looks pretty normal, she thought to herself. There's nothing out of the ordinary here.

The only outgoing transaction was the monthly bank charge, keeping their account going.

See, she thought. Everything is okay.

*

Val and Lou sat at one of their favorite restaurants twenty minutes later.

"How are you feeling now?" Lou asked her as they scanned the menus.

"So much better after I logged onto the banking account and saw that everything seemed fine. So I can breathe. Julian can have his weekend, or week, or whatever. And then he will come back and complain a bit – probably about the food. And we'll go back to normal."

"As long as you're good," Lou said. "It's okay for you to have felt the way you did – everything with Julian has been a bit … heavy. But at the same time, it's also important to remember that he's probably also trying and working on himself, you know? I'm sure your support will mean everything to him. Don't get caught up in your feelings only. He needs you to keep him on the straight and narrow."

Val smiled at Lou from over her menu. She needed this. She needed the reminder that as much as her feelings were valid, Julian needed someone to believe in him, too. And she could do that. She would.

Back when Val got Julian to got to rehab...

The soft glow of the laptop screen illuminated Val's face as she sat cross-legged in front of their coffee table, her fingers dancing over the keyboard. She was fueled by a sense of determination, and her love and concern for Julian fueled that determination even further.

She knew if she kept thinking about the situation, she would chicken out and abandon the application form. Instead, she plugged her earphones into her laptop and played music to drown out her thoughts. She allowed her hands to automatically fill in the details while her feet tapped away on the carpet.

You're doing this for him, she thought to herself.

She continued to fill out the online application for a rehabilitation center nearby. While she indicated why she was applying for Julian, memories of the car being repossessed rose, as did the disappointment of their home renovations falling apart. And finally, the fact that they had to move out of their home into this one – all due to Julian's gambling addiction.

But Val couldn't bear to see him spiral further into the holds of his addiction. No, she could not allow their lives to go down that path. Therefore, the rehabilitation center seemed like their best chance.

Finally, after double-checking the details, Val took a deep breath and clicked the submit button. An email confirmation arrived promptly, outlining the next steps for Julian's admission. Val felt grounded to the floor in that instance. She hoped Julia would see that she was doing this from a place of love and concern, not to hurt or betray him through retaliation. No, she just wanted to show him how much she loved him.

The sound of Julian's footsteps approached the living room.

"What are you doing on the floor? And in the dark?" he asked curiously.

"Come in, honey," she said. "We need to talk, please sit down."

Val got off the floor and sat on the couch, patting the seat to her for Julian to sit down. She held his hand while explaining her actions and the decision to admit him to the center.

"You want to get rid of me?" he asked, wounded. He let her hand fall away.

"Of course not!" she said. "You just need the help. How can we plan for a baby like this? You do still want a baby, right?"

Julian nodded at her.

"You know I do, Val," he said.

"Then think of this as an investment for our child's life. That their Dad sorted out his problem before they were born."

"Do you really mean this?" he asked. "This isn't just some step leading to the road of divorce?"

"Julian!" she exclaimed. "Never! That's why it's so important to me that we try and fix this now – not twenty years from now when the situation worsens. Do you understand?"

Julian took Val's hand again.

"I think I do," he said. "Will you be here the whole time?"

"You couldn't get rid of me that easily. I'm not the car," she joked, but when she saw the expression on his face, she quickly said, "Sorry, too soon!"

But that seemed to seal the deal – Julian laughed with her, and at that moment, Val believed everything was okay.

"When am I supposed to go?" he asked as he sobered up from their laughter.

"We can go over the details in the morning. But I did the application process already, and we just got an email confirmation – it came through just before you arrived."

"So that's it? Easy as that?"

"Yes," she said. After a moment, she asked Julian, "Do you hate me?"

"No, I'm just disappointed in myself and that I drove you to this. But I'll go, and I'll do better."

Val smiled as he pulled her into his arms. She needed to believe his words, especially if they would come out the other side in one piece.

When Val got home that evening, Julian had left. The house was quiet, his absence noted. She kicked off her shoes and lounged in front of the TV. She was going to do absolutely nothing the entire weekend.

After watching one movie, Val drew herself a bath and imagined what Julian was doing. She wondered whether the conference was going well and what he had eaten. Julian was only adventurous with food if she was around – if she didn't think he would enjoy it, he would never order it.

When she was done, she got into her comfortable pajamas and went to the freezer for ice cream. Then, she went right back to her spot on the couch. Val planned on watching trashy reality TV until her eyes drooped so much that she was forced to switch it off and go to bed.

*

Val sipped on hot chocolate while she scrambled some eggs for breakfast. She had gotten into the groove of doing nothing, and for the first time in weeks, she felt some relief. She wanted to continue the trend of doing nothing, but she thought that maybe getting out of the house would also do her some good.

She buttered her slice of toast and called Lou, putting her on speaker while she finished her eggs with chopped coriander.

"What are you doing today?" Val asked Lou as she answered on the first ring.

"I have nothing planned, but I'd like to get my hair done. You know, like the style you chose yesterday?"

"Oh yes! Do that!" she exclaimed.

"Why? What did you have in mind?" Lou asked without missing a beat.

Val could hear her eating something on the other side of the phone. Her crunches were loud in Val's ear.

"Nothing. But I'll come with you, maybe I'll get my nails done or something."

"Good! Let's just have a girl's day. And you can do it without feeling guilty that Julian is home alone," Lou said.

Which was fair because that was often Val's reasoning for not spending too much time with Lou on weekends.

"Speaking of Julian," Lou continued. "Anything news? Did he call and check in with you?"

"No, but it's fine. If it is a conference, then it makes sense that he will be busy, right?" Val asked, biting into her toast.

"Jeez, that was a loud bite," Lou said laughingly. "Yes, that makes sense. Did you recheck the bank account? Everything looks okay?"

"I didn't check it again, actually. But let me do it now while we're here."

Val put her fork down and logged onto the account from her phone. Her jaw dropped when she saw the pending amount of money that was soon to be transferred into their savings account.

"Val?" Lou asked. "You still there?"

"Yeah!" she replied. "Lou, I have to go."

"What's wrong?" Lou asked.

"A huge amount of money is set to come into the account."

"How much is a huge amount?"

"Like Julian just won the jackpot," Val said.

Val cut the call and began to pace around the kitchen. She knew that her instincts were correct. There was no way that that amount would be due to a promotion. It was impossible.

This means that he's not at a conference, she thought to herself. Julian is probably at the casino.

She didn't quite know whether she should be upset or whether she should be relieved in some sense. This money could solve all their problems and then some. This money could be a new start. But at the same time, with this new money – Julian could fall deeper into his addiction, which had clearly come back.

"I have to go and find him," she said to her reflection in the microwave.

The casino's neon lights shimmered in the distance as Val parked the car. She scanned the parking lot to see if she could find the second-hand car that Julian had gotten a few months ago, but couldn't see it. Then again, the parking lot was huge, and it was already packed with cars.

"Does everyone here have a gambling problem?" she muttered to herself as she walked to the entrance.

The cacophony of the casino enveloped her as she stepped inside. The rhythmic chiming of slot machines and the muted hum of conversations became the background soundtrack of her search for Julian.

As she approached the slot machines, the dazzling lights painted a tapestry of colors on her face. Val felt that she was in another world. Outside, the sun shone brightly, but inside the casino, it was loud and pulsing with music. The smell of stale alcohol, sweat, and cheap perfume clung to the air. She hated every moment she spent there.

She walked around the slot machines, trying to find Julian – if he were at the casino, he would be around the slot machines. Then, the familiar silhouette of Julian came into view. A pang of disappointment and frustration surged through her.

"Oh, Julian," she muttered, her eyes narrowing. "After everything we have been through, you're back here."

But when she got close to the person, tapping him on the shoulder, she discovered it wasn't Julian.

"I'm sorry," she said to the man. "I thought you were my husband."

The man nodded, never truly taking his attention away from the machine.

"Valerie?" she heard Julian say a moment later.

"Julian, we need to talk."

He nodded and took her arm.

"Come with me," he said calmly.

"I don't want to go anywhere with you!" Val shouted loudly.

"Val, I will explain everything. Just come."

Julian led her to an elevator.

"I've booked a room here," he said.

The elevator doors closed with a muted thud, enveloping Julian and Val in its stuffy interior. As the ascent began, Val's gaze remained fixed on the digital display ticking off the floor numbers, her mind still reeling from actually finding Julian here.

Standing so close to her that she could feel his body heat, Julian wore a pained expression, aware that he could no longer conceal the truth.

When they got onto the correct floor, and the elevator doors opened, Julian again took her arm. The hotel corridor stretched before them, its dimly lit ambiance casting long shadows on the carpeted floor. Julian fumbled for the key car and led Val to their room.

The air inside hung heavy with unspoken tension, and as the door clicked shut behind them, the weight of the truth settled over the room.

"Talk," Val said.

"There's something I need to tell you," Julian said at the same time.

"Go for it. The floor is yours," she said, sitting at the edge of the unmade bed.

"I didn't want to burden you with the truth, Val. But the money that I owed people kept adding up. And even now, I still had people to pay off."

He paused and looked at her. But Val could not speak. There was nothing she had to say.

"I haven't been doing any of this for fun, I promise you that. I've even spoken with the therapist from rehab, and she advised against it, but when she understood that it wasn't for me – that I was doing this as a last resort, she understood. But I have to keep seeing her until this is all over."

"Until what is over?" Val asked.

She felt that she had thawed a bit since hearing that Julian was talking to his therapist. Now, she just wanted to know what was going on.

"There is just one person I needed to pay back from before I left. But he just kept adding interest to it. And when I went to the bank to ask for a loan, they denied it. And, of course, gambling isn't actually above board, so I couldn't seek legal help."

Val nodded.

"So, I knew that I could do it. I knew that if I could spend some time here, on the slots, not anything else that would lead us into something deeper, then I could make it."

"And then you won the jackpot?" Val said.

"How did you know?" he asked, shocked.

"I saw it on our account's pending notifications. I'm sorry, but I didn't trust you."

He smiled at her slowly.

"It's okay, I understand. I didn't give you a reason to trust me. I haven't done that for a long time."

"So, the money?" she asked.

"A big chunk of it is going to settle the debt. And when that's done, this is over, Val. We'll never have to set foot in a casino again. We'll never have to go through anything like this again. I won't mess it up."

"Despite everything," Val said. "I believe you."

And she did. Her instincts told her that something was wrong, and that was true. But at the end of the day, she was more concerned with how gambling would affect their lives once again – she didn't stop to ask Julian what was really going on. But she, from how he spoke to her now, without blinking, that he was telling her the truth.

"I'll go back to rehab," he said. "For however long you want me to – but it was different this time. I was just digging us out of the hole that I shoved us into. And it's over, Val. The moment the transaction comes through, this will all be a thing of the past."

"Okay," she said. "Let's do the payment, and settle the debt, and then we can talk about seeing your therapist. You don't have to go in if she doesn't think you need it."

Julian smiled at her and wrapped her in his arms.

"So, what will the new hobby be?" she asked.

"I don't know. Maybe golf?" he chuckled.

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