My aunt, who is a judge, insisted that I sign a prenuptial agreement before getting married. At the time, I didn’t understand why. But I listened to her anyway.

When he arrived, he tried to kiss me, but I stepped back and told him everything his mother said.

He did not look surprised, and that hurt more than anything else.

“That is just how my mom is, she talks without thinking sometimes,” he said.

I looked at him and said, “She asked me for two hundred thousand dollars.”

“Well, asking is not forcing,” he replied.

I asked him, “Did you know about it?”

He paused for a moment and then said, “I knew she wanted to talk to you about the car.”

I asked him if he thought that was normal, and he looked annoyed.

“Amanda, you are overreacting, my car is old and I need a new one, and you are doing better financially, I was just trying to help,” he said.

That word made me angry.

“Help is something you ask for honestly and plan to return, this was a demand,” I told him.

He stood up and said, “You always get defensive when it comes to money.”

I replied, “Because I worked years to earn it.”

“And I have been with you for years,” he said.

We both went quiet, and I realized how wrong that sounded.