Most marriages involve adults who love and care for one another. However, that dynamic can sometimes skew, especially if one spouse is dealing with an addiction or is abusive. If you’re married to someone like that, you may feel like you’re living with someone you must protect yourself from.
Unfortunately, if you live with someone with an addiction, you may find your spouse pawned jewelry behind your back, used your credit cards without permission, or stole your identity. If any of these events occur, you have several decisions to make.
What To Do When Your Spouse Pawned Jewelry Behind Your Back
When you find out your spouse has betrayed your trust, financially and otherwise, you have several options.
Decide If You Want to Stay Married
The first consideration is if you want to stay married. Can you trust your spouse again? Should you? Is this the first time your spouse has done something like this or has he betrayed your trust previously? You’ll need to look at your specific circumstances, determine how much you can take, and why your spouse did this to you.
File for Divorce
If you don’t want to stay married, file for divorce as soon as possible. Filing quickly is important because the court will hold your spouse responsible if any other marital assets go missing. Once you file, he cannot legally steal from you and not be required to pay it back. You protect yourself by filing.
Move Out of the Home
Some couples continue to live together while in the process of divorce, but you’ll likely want to move out as soon as possible to protect yourself and your property from further theft. If the items are not there, he won’t be tempted to steal them.
Report the Theft to the Police
You can report the theft to the police, which will help you get your jewelry back. (The police officers will file a report and notify pawnbrokers. The pawnbrokers are obligated to return your stolen goods.)
If you report the theft, your spouse could be charged and face up to 15 years in prison. You may feel guilty taking such action, but remember, you did nothing wrong. Your spouse did.
Final Thoughts
Has a spouse pawned jewelry behind your back, used your credit card without permission, or stolen your identity? Each of these actions represents a severe breach of trust. You should not dismiss or forgive these actions easily. In some cases, filing for divorce and reporting the theft to the police may be the best way to protect yourself and get your items back.
A spouse who will do this to you is not trustworthy. If you choose to forgive him, he may steal from you again or worse unless he is remorseful and willing to seek counseling to change his behavior and mindset.
Read More
5 Issues that Financial Therapies for Couples Can Fix,
How to Safeguard Your Savings from a Financially Irresponsible Spouse,
What to Do If Your Spouse Refuses to Follow a Budget
Melissa Batai
Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her reading a good book, cooking, or traveling. She resides in New York where she loves the natural beauty of the area.
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