Dana wrote to share her story that brought up strong emotions. She wanted to hear opinions and advice from others about whether she’s right to divorce her husband after what he did. He stole from her, and now Dana can’t forgive him. She’s angry and deeply hurt by his actions.
Dana began her story:
My husband Derek and I have been happily married for 17 years. We have two kids, and our life has been good, until something happened that changed our relationship and broke my trust in him.”
She explained: “When I was 5, my Nana gave me her tea set. It was a gift from her mother. Nana didn’t have daughters, and I was the only girl out of her 15 grandchildren, so she gave it to me. It’s a simple but special bone china set. It may not be worth much money, but it has huge sentimental value to me. I’ve always treasured it and planned to pass it down to my own daughter or granddaughter one day. Derek knows how much this set means to me.”
Dana continued: “Derek’s sister and her family came to stay with us for a week. Whenever their little girls visit, I bring out my tea set for a tea party. It’s a tradition that started with my Nana, and I’ve happily kept it going. So, my sister-in-law, her daughters, and I had our tea party.
A few weeks later, I had friends visiting with their little daughters. I planned another tea party, but when I went to get my tea set, it was gone. I usually keep it in a cabinet in the kitchen. I was so sad when I couldn’t find it, and I searched everywhere. My friend came and left, and I still hadn’t found it. The tea party was ruined, and I felt awful.”
She continued: “I spent weeks searching my entire house for the tea set. I looked in every cabinet, drawer, and cupboard. Derek even helped me look for it. He was sympathetic and told me it was a shame it was missing. He also said it couldn’t have just disappeared on its own.”
Dana shared her frustration: “What really hurt me is that Derek knew where it was the whole time but pretended I had misplaced it. He saw how upset I was and tried to comfort me by offering to buy me a new set, as if a new set could replace my Nana’s.
He even bought a cheap set from a store and brought it home. I was so angry that he didn’t understand how irreplaceable my Nana’s set was. I threw the new set in the trash. Call me ungrateful, but I couldn’t believe he thought it could replace something so important to me.
Dana revealed: “One day, I overheard Derek on the phone. He said to put ‘something’ away and tell Hailey, my niece, not to mention it because I was still upset. He didn’t say the words ‘tea set,’ but I knew what he was talking about. I walked in and called him a thief. He looked shocked. He hung up and tried to explain, but I didn’t listen. I told him to get my tea set back.”
Dana continued: “I called his sister and accused her of stealing my tea set. I told her to return it in the same condition or I would call the police. Derek tried to calm me down. He said his little niece loved the set and that it was really for little girls. He told me I was too old to be playing with it and should grow up. He said it didn’t mean anything to him, so I should just let it go.”
Dana concluded: “The next day, I went to the police and reported the theft. I also called my brother, who lives near Derek’s sister. My brother went to their house and got my tea set back. Derek was furious and spent days calling me all sorts of insults. Now, he’s sending me long messages, apologizing for everything. But I want a divorce. I feel like I can’t trust him anymore, and the pain is just too much.”
