Just the other day, I happened to stumble across my husband’s notebook, and inside, I found a detailed record of every expense he made for my seven-year-old son. My boy is currently in Year 2, and his father and I divorced ages ago. When my son was four, I met another man. He told me he loved me and promised to love my son as his own. That was enough for me back then.
But the truth is, my husband never truly wanted to be a real father to my son. At first, his attention and respect towards my boy seemed all I needed. After wed been married a year, our daughter was born. Naturally, she became the apple of his eyeshe was his flesh and blood, after all.
As Im on maternity leave, my husband is now the sole provider for our family. Whenever we go for a stroll in the park or pop by the playground, hes always buying my son little toys or ice cream without hesitating.
However, when I found that notebook, I was completely floored. Inside, there was a neat table split into three sections. The columns were marked: Date, Name, Amount. Toys £40, Ice Cream £40, Swings £30.
I confronted my husband and asked him what all this meant. He didnt even look surprised when I showed him the notebook; in his world, it was perfectly normal. He explained, quite matter-of-factly, that when my maternity leave is over, Ill need to reimburse him for everything hes spent on my son. To make matters worse, he suggested that I shouldnt delay and should go to court to claim child support from my former husband, so itd be easier for me to repay this debt. He ended by saying that his only concern now is the wellbeing of his own child.
I burst into tears right then and there. I cant bring myself to leave himwe have a daughter together, and I do love him dearly. But I cant forgive him for being so petty. Who knows what the future will bring?
If I’ve learned anything from all this, it’s that love without kindness lacks true meaningand no child should ever be made to feel like a ledger entry.
