Troy and I were childhood sweethearts, raised like siblings and married at 20. For 35 years, we shared a steady life with two children and what I believed was a loving marriage. Then I noticed large amounts missing from our joint account. Troy gave vague, dismissive explanations, and the money never returned.
While searching his desk, I found hotel receipts—all from the same hotel and room. When I called the hotel, the concierge confirmed Troy was a regular. I confronted him, but he showed no remorse or explanation. Heartbroken by the betrayal, I filed for divorce after 36 years. Two years later, Troy died unexpectedly.
At his funeral, his intoxicated father told me I never knew what Troy did for me. I learned the missing money and hotel visits were tied to Troy secretly paying for my mother’s cancer treatments—something she hid from me to spare me the pain. He sacrificed our savings and our marriage to protect me, carrying the burden alone.