His Mistress Cut My “Dog Food” Money

My husband, Stellan Rook, said his company was so broke he couldn't even afford a bookkeeper. To help him, I signed up for an adult accounting class at the community college. During class, one of the students projected her brother-in-law's company expenses onto the screen for us to analyze. That was how I discovered that the man she called her brother-in-law was my husband—and that his business was doing very well. My name and the last digits of my bank account number were on the screen. Three hundred dollars a month, labeled “Dog Food.” The recipient listed directly below me was Odette Mercer. Thirty thousand dollars a month, labeled “Wife's Living Expenses.” The three hundred dollars Stellan sent me every month was “Dog Food” in his books. At the front of the room, Romilly Mercer was still talking. “The next sheet shows the expenses after the dividends went into his personal account. My brother-in-law says all the payments go through here, even the money he sends the maid for dog food.” Someone in the back sounded impressed. “Romilly, your brother-in-law's company is that big?” She lifted her chin. “Of course. He's Stellan Rook, the founder of Rook Logistics.” I dug my nails into my palms just to keep myself in my seat. A soft female voice came from the doorway. “Romilly.” Romilly hurried over, smiling, and linked her arm through the woman's. “Everyone, meet my sister, Odette. She's Mr. Rook's wife, and he adores her.” … I took in her tailored cashmere coat, the diamond watch on her wrist, even her hair, which looked as if she'd just stepped out of a salon. To save Stellan money, I hadn't even let myself buy more face cream when mine ran out. Luckily, I'm still young. The exhaustion of all those years hasn't shown on my face yet. The classroom came alive. Everyone wanted a moment with the wealthy Mrs. Rook. I sat there, my hands and feet cold, my chest numb with pain. My phone vibrated, and I glanced down. It was a message from Stellan. “Sorry, honey. This business trip's going to take another month.” “For now, I can only send you a hundred and fifty dollars this month.” “The company doesn't have enough cash coming in. I need to get out there and find more clients.” “Thanks for taking care of things at home.” For years, he'd always been away, working. Yet the company never seemed to make any money. I paid the mortgage, his mother's prescriptions, and the medical bills her insurance didn't cover. I handled our daughter's school drop-offs and pickups. I was still paying off the loan he'd taken out in my name to start the business, too. He gave me three hundred dollars a month and refused to give me a cent more. I'd thought he was struggling to get the business off the ground. I'd never pushed him to bring home more money. He'd long since made a home with another woman. “Odette, sit here. This is the only seat left.” I snapped back to the room. Romilly had already brought Odette over to me. “Iona, my sister can sit next to you, right?” She pulled out Odette's chair as soon as she'd asked. I took a deep breath. “Sure.” Odette smiled at me. There was nothing arrogant about her manner. She was actually very friendly. Suddenly, someone behind me pointed at the screen. “Iona, someone's got your name on there.” “Where? Let me see.” “That entry in the middle.” “Which one?” “Number nineteen. The one labeled dog food.” “You're right. Iona Vale—even the last name's the same.” The laughter in the classroom stopped. A few people gave me awkward looks. Odette stepped in to smooth things over. “It's not that strange for two people to have the same name. Iona's a lovely name.” “The maid Stellan hired for his mother has that name, too. She also feeds the dogs.” “My mother-in-law told me the maid's very reliable. She never slacks off.” She looked at me kindly. “You seem like a very reliable person, too.” Romilly chimed in. “Of course she is. Iona's always the first to turn in her assignments, and she works harder than any of us.” My heart sank a little further. The woman I'd cared for like my own mother had long since found a daughter-in-law she preferred. She and her son had been lying to me together for years.

I forced a small smile and asked Odette: “Does your Iona live in San Diego, too?” “I've never met her. Stellan said she's in her forties and hasn't had much luck finding work, so he hired her to look after his mother and take care of the dogs.” The student beside us asked curiously: “Mrs. Rook, she must get paid well, right? The dog food alone costs three hundred dollars a month.” Odette smiled. “My mother-in-law handles her wages. I haven't asked about that.” “Stellan only sends her the money for dog food. Three hundred a month.” “But I thought that was too much. Dogs don't need steak, so I told him a hundred and fifty would be enough from now on.” My chest tightened. I couldn't even catch my breath. My allowance had been cut in half because this woman thought he was spending too much on the dogs. She was still smiling. “I wanted to learn bookkeeping myself and help him at the company.” “But he wouldn't let me work. He said our family didn't need my salary.” “I couldn't change his mind, so I had Romilly take the class. Once she gets her certificate, she'll handle the books at his company.” “That way, she can keep me updated on the company's income and expenses.” “That's why I think taking this class is a smart move.” “At the very least, you'll understand your household finances. And if your husband's business takes off someday, you'll know more than just how much he sends you every month.” “You have to understand the books to know what you actually have in your marriage.” People around us began to clap. “Mrs. Rook, you've really thought this through.” “This is so much more useful than anything in the textbook.” Even the substitute instructor took the opportunity to invite her to speak. “Odette, would you be willing to tell us a little more?” “Everyone's learning this because they want to manage their lives better.” “Your experience might give them some ideas.” Voices chimed in across the room. “Yes, please! Tell us more!” Odette looked around, as if she couldn't bring herself to refuse. “All right. I'll share a few of my own thoughts.” She'd barely begun when her phone rang. “Sorry. I need to take this.” She stayed in her seat and answered right beside me. A child's voice came through the speaker. “Mom, where are you? Dad and I miss you.” After the little girl spoke, I heard Stellan's voice. “Honey, what time do you and Romilly get out of class? I'll bring our daughter along to pick you both up.” It felt as if something had slammed into my chest. My breath caught in my throat. I couldn't get any air. They even had a daughter together. Those supposed business trips had been lies, too. He hadn't stopped lying to me for a single day in all those years. “Another half hour. You two be good and wait for me.” Their voices alone told me how close they were as a family of three. My seven-year-old daughter was delighted if she got to see her father once every three months. Stellan always said he didn't have time for her. Our daughter was nearsighted, and the optometrist recommended glasses. The portion insurance wouldn't cover was two hundred and fifty dollars. He'd even tried to stop me from getting them, saying basic lenses weren't worth that much and the clinic was ripping us off. Whenever our daughter asked why Daddy never came home, he always gave her the same answer. “Daddy has to work hard so you and Mommy can have a good life.” He'd already had that good life. But the wife and daughter by his side weren't us anymore.

As soon as Odette hung up, the others gathered around again. Someone studied her face and asked: “Mrs. Rook, you don't look a day over twenty.” “I can't believe you already have a child.” This time, there was a little more genuine pleasure in Odette's smile. She liked being told she was young and beautiful, too. Romilly cut in proudly. “My brother-in-law takes good care of her. Odette's already thirty—can you believe it?” “Their daughter's six. And Odette's pregnant with their second baby.” “She's already two months along and still looks this good.” My mind went blank for a moment. Stellan and I have been married for eight years, and his daughter with this woman is already six. Now they were having a second child. I'd had an unplanned pregnancy the year before, too. I couldn't bear to end the pregnancy, but Stellan sat beside me and kept breaking down our finances for me: “Honey, I want to keep this baby, too.” “Of course I'd love for our daughter to have a little brother or sister.” “But the company keeps losing money. I can only give you three hundred dollars a month.” “Your take-home pay is forty-five hundred, but we've got a mortgage, and my mom can't go without her medication.” “The whole family's living on your income now. How are you going to manage another child?” “I can't bear to see you go through childbirth again, either. Watching you in so much pain last time, I didn't know what to do.” The day our daughter was born, he'd cried outside the delivery room. A nurse had even told me with a laugh that my husband was crying harder than I was—and I was the one giving birth. At the time, I'd truly believed he couldn't bear to see me in pain. Now I couldn't tell which moments had been real. I'd listened to him and gone to a clinic to end the pregnancy. Right after the procedure, he'd left on another business trip, and his mother had gotten sick. Our daughter still had to go to school. I hadn't even had a few full days to rest. Thinking about every day I'd spent with him made me feel like a fool. I steadied my voice and asked Odette: “Your husband dotes on you. Your wedding must have been beautiful.” Her smile faded a little. “We haven't had a wedding yet. When we first got together, his company was just getting started, and money was tight.” “He said we'd have the wedding after the second baby's born.” “You're all invited.” The conversation picked up again. A few people were already asking about the venue. I joined in as if we were just making small talk. “There aren't many men who still put you first once their business takes off.” The bitter smile that had just disappeared returned to Odette's face. She looked at me. “People don't stay the same as when you first met them.” “Companies change. People change.” “Once a man has money, women always come around. Hotel bars, private parties—there are plenty of opportunities.” She clearly knew Stellan wasn't faithful. Someone beside her couldn't help asking: “So what do you do?” Odette sounded as though she'd settled that question long ago. “What can I do? I'm his wife, and those women don't even get through my front door.” “They're just women he takes to a hotel now and then for fun.” “That's why I say learning to read the books is more useful than listening to a man tell you he loves you. People change, and so do promises.” “Money in your own account is real. If he can afford to support more children, I'll have them.” “If you don't have them, someone else will be happy to. I'd rather make sure our children's names are in his will and trusts than watch his money end up with someone else's family.”