Lana had been dating Angel for several months when he asked her to move in together and share the expenses of an apartment. They divided everything equally for years until Lana discovered that Angel had lied all the time.
“It will be great. We are both recent graduates, so living together makes more sense. We split the accounts 50-50 and we both won,” Angel told Lana. She wasn’t sure that moving in together after just eight months of dating was the best idea.
Image for illustrative purposes. | Photo: Pexels
Image for illustrative purposes. | Photo: Pexels
“I don’t know, Angel. It’s a great commitment. As you said, we both just graduated,” Lana said hesitantly.
“Well, that’s the only way we can move to the city and find work together. I already have some money for a deposit and everything. I’ll go look for the apartment and I’ll take care of all those things if you let me,” Angel continued, urging Lana to say yes.
“Ok, I agree. It makes sense because living in the city has become quite expensive. Once we find work, everything will be fine,” she agreed.
Angel found an apartment faster than Lana expected. He prepared everything, she packed her things and moved in with Angel just a few weeks later. The rent was quite reasonable and it was better to divide it in half.
“You can send me the rent money. I will transfer it directly from my account to the owner,” Angel told her when she asked about it.
Image for illustrative purposes. | Photo: Pexels
Image for illustrative purposes. | Photo: Pexels
“Does it cover public services and stuff? What about Wi-Fi?” asked Lana.
“How about paying for Wi-Fi from your account?” Angel suggested. Lana agreed immediately because he had been in charge of many things, and she also wanted to help.
This arrangement worked perfectly for several years until Lana wanted to stop renting to buy a house with Angel. But they needed to talk about the future before that.
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“Honey, we’ve been living together for several years. Do you see us going further?” she asked one night.
“Of course, Lana. But I wasn’t sure you wanted to get married soon,” Angel said sincerely.
“Well… I’ve never liked weddings very much. We could do something simple. I asked about it because I thought it might be time to look for a house,” Lana explained. “I’m tired of paying rent every month. I prefer to use that money for a mortgage.”
“Sounds like a great idea. But I don’t know if we’ve saved enough for the down payment,” Angel said somewhat hesitantly.
Image for illustrative purposes. | Photo: Pexels
Image for illustrative purposes. | Photo: Pexels
“Oh, I know. I have some savings, but I just wanted us to start thinking about moving forward together,” Lana concluded.
“You’re right. Let’s plan it,” Angel nodded, but every time Lana took up the subject again, he distracted her with other things. Maybe she doesn’t want to buy a house together or get married, Lana thought.
One day, Lana was cleaning her room while Angel went to pick up dinner at his favorite Italian restaurant. They had eaten there every Saturday since they moved. It was a small and charming tradition.
Suddenly, Lana saw that Angel had left some of his messy documents in the closet. He picked them up and began to sort them in a folder. She had never seen what he kept there because that was none of her business.
But then he saw something with the address of his apartment. “Is this our rental contract?” Lana wondered. She felt curious and looked a little more. But it wasn’t that kind of contract. Angel’s name was next to the word “owner.”
Image for illustrative purposes. | Photo: Pexels
Image for illustrative purposes. | Photo: Pexels
I didn’t understand much about contracts or property titles, but the document said that Angel was the owner of the apartment. “He lied to me all these years!”, Lana thought with horror. “How did you use the money I paid for the ‘rent’?”
“Honey, I’m here! The food smells amazing today!” Angel shouted from the kitchen. She wanted to go into the living room and yell at him. But it was better to keep a calm attitude.
“What is this, Angel? Do you own this apartment or condo or whatever?” Lana asked him with the documents in her hand. His eyes lit up.
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“What are you doing checking my stuff?” he asked, trying to divert the discussion.
“No. Don’t change the subject. This is clearly a property document and you are the owner. Tell me the truth right now!”, demanded Lana, failing to stay calm in the end.
“It’s okay, Lana. Calm down. Nothing happens. Yes, I am the owner of the apartment,” Angel began to say, but did not continue.
Image for illustrative purposes. | Photo: Pexels
Image for illustrative purposes. | Photo: Pexels
“What about what I paid for rent?” Lana asked, exasperated.
“I used it to pay the mortgage. Well, listen. My parents gave me money for the down payment after graduation and saw this great opportunity. But the mortgage of this place would have taken too much of my initial payment check,” Angel explained.
“So, have you lied all these years?” Lana asked coldly.
“Yes, but it’s not a big deal. It’s as if you rented the place to me,” Angel justified.
“But a mortgage would not have been as high as this rent. We ‘divide’ all expenses in half. Was your mortgage $1,600 a month?” Lana questioned.
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“Well, no. The mortgage was just a little more than you paid in rent,” Angel admitted. “I’m sorry, Lana. I’m very sorry. I didn’t think you’d agree if you had known that I’m the owner of this place.”
“YOU LIED TO ME!” she shouted and began to cry. “I could have saved a lot of money if we had divided things in half. But no! You made me pay your entire mortgage for years! What did you do with your money?!”
“I… I saved it,” Angel said.
“For you, right?! You don’t care about me at all. I’m going to talk to a lawyer! I’m going to sue you! But I’ll move first!” Lana shouted and left. She packed her things while he begged her to stop.
Image for illustrative purposes. | Photo: Pexels
Image for illustrative purposes. | Photo: Pexels
“Please. I’ll pay you the money. Just don’t leave. I love you. Let’s get married!” Angel begged him.
“Goodbye, Angel. I don’t care what you do with your life,” Lana replied. “I’ll be back soon to look for the rest of my things.”
She went to a hotel. Very soon, Lana found a large apartment in the area. He was smaller than Angel’s, but at least no one would lie to him. She could have sued him, but the truth is that she didn’t want anything from him. I wanted to cut ties and move on.
Angel called her and begged her to come back, but Lana refused at all times. Finally, he stopped.
One day, Lana received an alert from her banking application informing her of a deposit of thousands of dollars. Apparently, Angel had given her back everything she could have saved if they had really divided things in half. It was a nice gesture, but it was too late. Lana had already gotten over it.
What can we learn from this story?
Lying can destroy a relationship: While some couples can fix things after a big lie, others can’t tolerate it. Don’t lie to your partner.
Demand to see the documents before accepting large commitments: Lana did not ask to see her rental contract and discovered the truth in the worst possible way. Don’t let your partner take care of everything because you never know what could happen.
