Dereck finally admitted he wanted the money to renovate our kitchen. He had planned the sale for two months and deliberately scheduled collection during our anniversary trip. “I knew you’d say no,” he confessed. Those words hurt more than anything else.
At home, he showed us the remaining belongings he’d moved into the garage. I discovered Dad’s old wooden hand plane, including the repaired corner I’d accidentally damaged as a child. Holding it brought back memories of Dad teaching me that broken things could still be repaired. But I wondered whether the same could ever be true of my marriage.
