One day, my husband came home and said, “You need to take out a $15,000 loan! My mom has bad credit, but she needs the money. She’ll pay you back in a month.” When I asked what it was for, he wouldn’t tell me. When I asked why he couldn’t take out the loan himself, he said it would ruin his career because he worked at a bank. I didn’t want to do it, but he kept pushing, so I finally gave in.
A month later, I asked his mom about the money. Her reply? “I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT. I NEVER BORROWED A CENT FROM YOU, AND I’M NOT PAYING ANYTHING BACK!” I was shocked and still stuck with the loan. When I told my husband what she said, he dropped a bomb on me: “I don’t care. It wasn’t for her anyway.”
I stood there blinking, waiting for the rest of the explanation. He shrugged like it was no big deal and said the money had gone to “a situation,” then walked off to take a shower like we hadn’t just detonated our marriage.

Over the next few days, I pressed him. He gave bits and pieces—said he owed someone money, then later changed the story and said it was an “investment.” None of it added up. His mom, when I tried to follow up, avoided my calls.
I couldn’t sleep. I’d taken out that loan in my name, and the payments were already hitting. We’d always shared finances, but now suddenly he said it was “my responsibility” because I signed the paperwork.
It started to hit me: I’d been tricked.