When His Family Pretended to Be Poor, I Pretended to Be Broke and Learned the Truth

I listened without interrupting. Diane said therapy was already helping them recognize the patterns, but it would be a long process to undo years of this mindset.

“I’m not asking for forgiveness,” she said. “I’m just asking for a chance to start over. To actually get to know you as the person you are, not as someone we’re testing or judging.”

I considered this and then asked her a question. If I actually had been broke, if I really was struggling financially and in debt, would she be sitting here apologizing, or would she still think she was right to try and push me out?

Diane was quiet for a long moment, and I appreciated that she actually thought about it instead of giving me an automatic answer.

“I’d like to say yes, but I honestly don’t know. The therapy is helping me see that my value system has become warped.”

“I measure people’s worth by their financial status without even realizing I’m doing it.”

She looked at me with tears in her eyes.

“My mother-in-law did that to me. She measured my worth by my bank account and found me wanting. And I swore I’d never be like her, but I became exactly like her—just with a bigger bank account to feel superior about.”

I told her I appreciated the honesty.

“I’m willing to start fresh, but you need to understand that I’m not going to pretend to be someone I’m not. This is who I am, money included.”

Diane nodded and said she understood. We talked for another hour, and by the end, I felt like I was seeing the real her for the first time.

She told me about growing up middle class and marrying Richard when he was just starting his first dealership.

“We ate ramen for dinner more nights than I can count. I wore the same three outfits to work for two years because we couldn’t afford more. And I was happy, because we were building something together.”

She said when the money finally came, it changed things in ways they hadn’t expected. Suddenly everyone wanted something from them.

Family members they hadn’t heard from in years needed loans, friends expected them to pay for everything, and people they just met had investment opportunities they couldn’t miss.

I could understand how that would make someone paranoid, but I also pointed out that the solution wasn’t to test and manipulate people.

“The solution is therapy and boundaries and learning to trust your own judgment about people.”

Diane agreed that’s what they were working on; it was just going to take time.

Over the next few months, things slowly improved with Adrien’s family. They invited us to dinner at their actual house in Meadowbrook, and it was almost comical seeing them in their real environment.

The contrast between the rental house and this place was stark: massive rooms, expensive furniture, and art that was probably worth more than most people’s houses.

Veronica apologized to me privately, saying she’d been the most aggressive in pushing for the test and the payoff.

“I think I was projecting,” she admitted.

“I married my ex-husband partly for financial security, and when that marriage fell apart, I became convinced that anyone who cared about money was shallow. But then I realized I was the shallow one for reducing relationships to transactions.”

Mitchell, who was still in college, said watching everything unfold had made him rethink how he approached dating.

“I was starting to do what they did, being suspicious of everyone’s motives. But seeing how wrong they were about you made me realize that’s no way to live.”

Richard pulled me aside during that dinner and said something that surprised me.

“Adrien told us about your company, about what you built. I respect the hell out of that. Building something from nothing and selling it for that kind of value takes real skill.”

He said he wished they’d taken the time to actually get to know me instead of testing me.

“We would have found out you’re successful and driven, and we would have been thrilled for Adrien instead of threatened.”

I thanked him and said I hoped we could move forward.

“I’m not going to hold the test against you forever, but I’m also not going to forget it happened. It showed me who you are under pressure, and that’s valuable information.”

Richard respected that and said he’d work to show me different sides of who they could be.

The relationship with Adrien’s family continued to improve gradually. Family dinners became more comfortable, and they started including me in family group chats and decisions.

Diane even invited me to join her book club, which was full of wealthy women who actually liked talking about books instead of using it as a gossip session.

About six months after the birthday dinner incident, Adrien and I were having dinner at the penthouse when he got serious.

“I’ve been thinking about the future—our future.”

I set down my fork and gave him my full attention.

“Watching everything unfold with his family had made him realize how much he valued our relationship and how much he trusted me. You could have destroyed them. You had evidence. You had every right to go scorched earth, but you didn’t. You gave them a chance to learn and grow.”

I told him I did it as much for him as for them. They’re his family, and I didn’t want to be the reason he lost them.