**Diary Entry**
Eleanor and James were having dinner when the door suddenly burst open, and his motherMargaretstormed in.
“James! You need to hear the truth about your wife!” she shouted from the doorway.
“Mum, sit down, calm yourself. Youre all flushedyour blood pressure will spike,” James said, concerned.
“I should think so!” Margaret snapped, turning sharply to her daughter-in-law. “I ran into Olivia, your colleague, today, and she told me everything!”
“And what exactly is that?” Eleanor replied coolly, meeting her gaze.
“That you got promoted a year ago and now earn twice as much as James! And he had no idea! You hid it from him!” Margaret was practically breathless with indignation.
“Whats the issue? We dont ask you for moneywe manage just fine. What do you want?”
“Last spring, when I asked for help fixing up the cottage, you claimed you had no spare funds. Now we find out theres money! Wheres it all going? Saving up to leave him, are you?” Margarets voice rose.
Eleanor stood and looked at her husband.
“James, could you fetch the blue folder from the bedside drawer?”
He did so without a word.
“Whats this?” he asked, opening it. “Savings accounts?”
“Yes. For Oliver and Charlotte. Ive been setting aside part of my salaryfor their future. When I realised your family saw me as an outsider, I had to think of the children first.”
“Outsider?” James cut in.
“Youve forgotten how we handled the flat bought with the money from selling the two-bed in Kensington? Only in your name. Just in case. You never said a word. I was pregnant, and you stayed silent. Did you think I wouldnt notice?”
James exhaled heavily. Margaret tried to interject
“It was just insurance!”
“Against what? The mother of your children?” Eleanors voice trembled. “And then you wonder why Im distant?”
“Wheres the money, Eleanor?” Margaret pressed. “If not for the family, then you must be keeping it to leave!”
“James, please see your mother out. Weve nothing left to say,” Eleanor said quietly.
“Fine, Ill go! But mark my wordsyoure destroying your own marriage!” Margaret hissed, though as she left, she added, “Though you two were never really suited.”
When the door closed, James was silent for a long moment.
“Did you really think I was planning an exit strategy?” he finally asked.
“I didnt know. You never said. And silence speaks volumes.”
“I dont want a divorce. I love you. And the children.”
“Then prove it. Show me Im not just temporary.”
“Alright. Ill transfer the flat into Charlottes name. And Ill start putting money aside for the kidslittle by little, but regularly. Trust goes both ways.”
Eleanor nodded.
“And we dont say the word divorce again,” James added.
“Agreed.”
For the first time in ages, they spoke not as strangers, but as people who still knew each others hearts.
A family isnt held together by money, but by honesty. Silence breaks; truth binds.
