I live in an HDB flat in Jurong with my husband. Every month I pay the rent of S$1,200 from my salary. Last month I noticed the rent receipt was short by S$200. I asked my husband why the amount was less. He said he must have mis read the bill. I checked the bank statement and the transfer was exactly S$1,000, not S$1,200.
A few days later I was cleaning the bedroom and found a small envelope under the mattress. Inside were S$200 in cash, neatly folded. My heart raced. I confronted him with the envelope.
He looked surprised and said he had been saving the cash for a medical emergency he didn’t want me to worry about. He claimed the missing rent was an honest mistake and that the cash would cover the shortfall.
I felt a mix of relief and anger. If he needed money, why not tell me I reminded him that we share all expenses and that hiding cash feels like a betrayal.
The next morning he told me he used the S$200 to buy a new gaming console for his brother. He said it was a birthday gift and that he would reimburse the rent later.
Now I am stuck. I cannot trust him with money any more, but I also don’t want to throw away years of marriage over a petty S$200. Should I ask him to move out until we sort this out, or try to work through the breach of trust
What would you do if your partner hid something this important from you?
