Dear MIMsters: My Recent Discovery About My Jobless Husband Hurts Badly

My husband lost his job about 3 years ago and since then, he has been jobless. This means I have been picking up the family bills. A lot has happened since these 3 years but I’m really pained by my recent discovery.

I have this account I have been using to save which my husband isn’t’ aware of. I never withdrew money from that account except for a particular day the kids has nothing to eat. On this day, I ran out with my ATM card, leaving my phone behind as it was getting late. Apart from that, we often use the torch of the phone to provide light when there is none.

While I was doing my transactions, my husband was checking the alerts on my phone. I got upset when I remembered that I’d left the phone with him because I didn’t want him to know yet.

Last year December, I gave a client that account to pay some money in. I didn’t get the alert but she insisted she had credited my account. I’m the type who doesn’t like going to the bank or stand at ATM machines, so my hubby has the pins to all my accounts.

Two days ago, I went to check my balance and got the shock of my life. My bank balance had depleted drastically. Angrily, I entered the banking hall and requested for my bank statement and to my greatest shock, I found out that my husband has been making transfers from that my phone to his account and to BET shops. He’s been into this since he lost his job.

Meanwhile, before now, somewhere in between that particular phone went missing and we’ve both been searching for it and hubby blamed it on our kids. Little did I know that he hid the phone so he could continue stealing from my account. I have been crying since I saw my statement because I wanted to use the money to pay my children’s school fees that we are currently owing.

He released my phone after I showed him my statement. I also asked him to return my money but I know that he can’t afford to repay. I’m very very upset as I don’t know how to get back at him to retrieve what he has stolen from me.

Last year, I suggested we sell our wedding rings to pay our children school fees and he agreed. Then, I kept his and mine in my jewelry box only to discover that these 3 rings had suddenly disappeared. Apparently, he had sold the rings and used the money for God knows what. I can’t list out all his atrocities here. I don’t know what to do.