Dana, one of our readers, wrote us a letter and shared a story that made us feel many different emotions. She asked us to share her story so that other readers could give their opinions and advice on whether she is right to want to divorce her husband after what he did. Dana’s husband stole something from her, and now she can’t forgive him. She is very angry and disappointed, and she has good reasons for feeling that way.
Dana opened her letter, saying, “My husband Derek and I have been married for more than 17 years. We have two children, and our life together has been happy in many ways. However, something happened recently that has caused problems in our relationship and made it hard for us to trust each other.”
The woman revealed, “When I was a little girl, my loving Nana gave me a special tea set. This set came from her own mother and meant a lot to her. I was her only granddaughter, and she wanted me to have it. The tea set is made of pretty, delicate china.
It might not be worth a lot of money, but it means so much to me because it reminds me of my Nana. I took good care of it and used it for many years, hoping to give it to my own daughter or granddaughter one day. My husband Derek knows how important the tea set is to me.”
Dana shared her story with us: "Derek’s sister and her family visited us for a week. When her little girls come over, I always use my special tea set to have a tea party, just like I used to have with my Nana. I make sandwiches, cakes, and cookies for us to enjoy together.
One day, my friend and her daughters were coming to visit, so I planned another tea party. I spent the whole morning baking and making sandwiches, but when I went to get my tea set, it was gone. I keep it in a special kitchen cabinet, and I always wash it carefully and put it away until the next time.
“I was very sad and started looking for it everywhere. Even after my friend came and left, I still couldn’t find it. The tea party was ruined, and so was my mood.”
Dana continued her story: “I spent days and weeks searching every corner of our house for my precious tea set. I looked in every possible place — cabinets, drawers, and cupboards — turning our home upside down. Even Derek helped me search and felt sorry that it was gone. He said it couldn’t have just walked away on its own.”
Dana admitted, “What really hurt me was that Derek knew exactly where the tea set was, but he acted like I had misplaced it. He saw how upset I was and offered to buy me a new set, thinking that would make it better. But he didn’t understand that no new set could replace the one my Nana gave me.”
Dana shared, “A few days later, Derek came home with a new tea set he found at a store, but it was cheap and didn’t look very nice. I threw it away because I was so angry that he couldn’t understand how special my Nana’s tea set was to me. It had so many memories and love attached to it, and no amount of money could replace that.”
Dana continued, “One day, I heard my husband on the phone, and he was saying to hide ’something’ and not mention it to me because I was still upset. He didn’t say ’tea set,’ but I knew that’s what he meant.”
Dana explained, “I walked in and called him a thief. He looked shocked and tried to explain, but I didn’t want to listen. I told him to get my set back.”
Dana then got a call from her sister-in-law, and she called her a thief too. She demanded that the tea set be returned safely, or she would call the police.
Derek tried to reason with Dana, saying that their niece loved the tea set and that it was meant for little girls. He argued that Dana was too old to play with toys and should grow up. He said it meant nothing to him, so it shouldn’t mean anything to her either.
The next day, Dana reported the theft to the police and asked her brother for help. Her brother managed to get the tea set back from Derek’s sister. Derek was very angry and called Dana names for a couple of days, but then he started apologizing. However, Dana feels she can’t trust him anymore and wants a divorce because she’s too hurt.
Join us next time for an emotional account of a wife whose relationship is tested by the overwhelming responsibility of caring for her husband’s sister’s children.
It read as a mystery novel and as soon as you said it disappeared after SIL visit I said to myself the "husband gave it to his niece". He was absolutely wrong for not asking your permission to give it away, again for not confessing then getting his sister to collude in hiding it, and finally in getting mad at your reaction. Agree with your actions 100%!
