When Daniel joined our company, he almost immediately started showing me attention. I tried not to respond because I didn’t like him. Daniel was calm, thoughtful, and decent, but I had always been attracted to a different type of man. Besides, he was seven years older than me – I was 22, and he was nearly 30.
However, when I found out that he owned his own apartment and lived separately from his parents, I decided to take a closer look at him. Shortly after, I agreed to go on a date with him.
Don’t rush to judge me – I had always dreamed of marrying a man with his own home because I didn’t have one myself. I had moved to New York from a small town, and the idea of living in a rented apartment didn’t appeal to me. But I didn’t marry Daniel just for the apartment. Of course, having his own place played an important role, but it wasn’t the deciding factor.
Over time, I realized that he was a reliable person I could count on. He was caring, attentive, and responsible – exactly the kind of man you need to build a family with. My relatives and friends liked him right away. Today, we’ve been together for four years, we have a son, and I’ve never regretted tying my life to his.
Everything was fine until I suggested to Daniel that we have a second child. Our financial situation was stable, we had a home – so why not welcome another baby? And that’s when the truth came out, a truth I hadn’t suspected at all.
It turned out that the apartment we were living in didn’t belong to Daniel – and certainly not to us. His parents had bought it and registered it in his father’s name. They did this to protect their son from any potential risks in case of a divorce.
I was shocked that Daniel hadn’t told me this earlier. He had kept this fact from me throughout all our years together! When I asked him why he hadn’t mentioned it, he said he simply didn’t think it was important. According to him, his parents didn’t need the apartment, so there was no reason to worry about them taking it back.
Daniel asked me not to get upset and to pretend I didn’t know. He explained that his parents had asked him not to tell me before we got married. But he doesn’t understand the key point – not only do I not own the apartment, but neither does he.
What if we suddenly need to sell the apartment so we can buy a house in the suburbs, as we’ve always dreamed of? We wouldn’t be able to do it because, legally, the property isn’t ours.
Another thing that worries me is that Daniel has an older sister, and their parents also bought her an apartment. But even Daniel doesn’t know who it’s registered to. What if his parents decide to take back our apartment and give it to her? Or sell it if they need money? What would we do then?
How can someone be so naive and calm? I dream of having my own house in the suburbs, of a large and happy family. But how can you plan your life and manage your finances when the home you live in doesn’t even belong to you?
