Andrea Gunning

It started with one small house, then two, then an apartment building in their hometown.

He was so busy that he often worked from home at nights.

He renovated their basement to become his home office.

He even put in a king-size bed.

It bothered her, him staying up late like this and sleeping in his office.

It also bothered her that he locked the door.

He said it was a security measure because he had important financial documents in there.

He started coming to bed with her until she fell asleep.

Then he would slip out and go back to work.

She would only realize it when she woke up and found him gone.

She never found any proof that her husband was cheating or having an affair.

She didn't have the energy to start a fight with him.

He insisted on sleeping in the basement.

Eventually, she became resigned to the fact she couldn't change his mind.

At that point in our marriage, I felt very distant from him.

In this period where Chad was sleeping in the basement office and they were bickering, Danielle knew that their marriage needed to improve.

So she sought help for herself.

She even suggested they try counseling again as a couple.

But this time, Chad resisted.

With each passing month, Chad spent more and more time out of the house, renovating the rental properties.