A Lawyer Plants Seeds of Doubt

He replied with a grinning emoji: "Babe, don’t you still have your house? So, no worries, we’ll just crash at your place."

I felt uneasy. Closed the chat. Just sat there, thinking. The wine in my glass felt heavy in my hand.

My fiancé and I met through a mutual friend. We’d always been straight with each other—or so I thought.

Here in Cincinnati, we each had our own fully paid-off car and house. Our parents lived in other states, and we both planned to build our lives here.

I thought we were equals—a great match. Our relationship was steady for a year, we got engaged without a hitch, and the wedding was just a month away. It all seemed so simple.

I never expected my fiancé would sell his house a month before the wedding—without even talking to me first. Who does that?

I tried to be understanding; after all, it was his house. But I still felt unsettled, like something was off. The more I tried to convince myself it was fine, the more it gnawed at me.

I set my wine down and stared at the ceiling fan spinning overhead. The feeling gnawed at me, like a loose thread in a sweater I couldn’t ignore. Something about the whole situation just wouldn’t let me go, and the more I tried to brush it off, the more it tugged at me.

So I texted a lawyer friend—someone I didn’t know all that well, but figured would have an outside perspective.

After a quick intro, the first thing my friend asked was, "Are you sure he actually owns a house?"

I nodded confidently. I’d seen the deed. Or at least, I thought I had.

Next, my friend said, "Did you actually see the title, you know, the one with the county seal and his name on it?"

I was about to nod, but suddenly realized—I hadn’t actually seen the title, just a picture of the folder. My stomach dropped a little.

When I didn’t answer, my friend pressed, "How is he with investments?"

I frowned. I’d never heard of him investing. Not once.

My friend continued, "Does he gamble? Any debts?"

I shook my head. Not that I know of.

My friend paused, then finally said:

"You’ve never heard of it? Not sure? You’re about to get married, but you barely know the guy’s finances."