When David’s father first met Anna, he warned his son that she didn’t truly love him and was only after his wealth. Curious about his father’s warning, David decided to test his wife’s devotion—and the results of the experiment left him astonished.

March 17th

I first met Emily at a gathering thrown by some mutual friends in London. The moment I saw her, I felt an inexplicable attractionmy heart raced, and I was overtaken with excitement. Things progressed swiftly between us, and we were soon inseparable. Still, my father remained worried. He warned me, quite directly, that Emily might not be sincere in her affection, suggesting she could simply be after financial gain. I was a bit annoyed by his suspicion and brushed off the idea, insisting that she had no inkling of my familys wealth. Nevertheless, Father advised me to keep that information close for as long as possible, so I could judge the authenticity of Emilys feelings with absolute clarity.

After some thought, I decided that it wasnt a bad experiment to tryafter all, I had nothing to lose, and it would give me certainty about Emilys love. We chose to have a small, understated wedding and moved into one of my familys many flatsdeliberately picking the most modest one. I even let Emily think it belonged to my late grandmother. For the next six months, we lived a perfectly ordinary life. I went to work every day, bringing home a rather average salary, and Emily managed our finances, ensuring we scraped by each month.

Six months passed, and I felt it was time to be honest and live without secrets. I bought her a lovely bouquet of roses, feeling hopeful and ready for confession. But when I got home, I found Emily packing her bags by the front door. She told me, My friends always said you had money, and thats the reason I agreed to be with you. But it turns out youre barely scraping by. I refuse to live like thisIm leaving for a man with more to offer. I stood there, speechless, stunned by her words. Finally, I replied, keeping my voice steady and cold: Your friends were right. I tried to test you, and now its clear your motives were all about money. My father knew best. Despite Emilys desperate pleas for forgiveness, I remained steadfast in my decision. I couldnt bring myself to reconcile with someone whose love had been nothing but a transaction.