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Ashley never believed love should feel like a transaction, yet the imbalance in her relationship slowly became impossible to ignore. She and her fiancé, Ben, lived in very different financial worlds. Ben was a successful pediatrician with a thriving private practice, while Ashley was a hardworking hairstylist still building her client base.
Despite this, Ashley never allowed money to define her effort or commitment—especially during the holidays. That Christmas, she worked double shifts for months to buy Ben the one gift he constantly talked about but never purchased for himself: a gaming console he said would help him relax after long days at work. Finding it was difficult and expensive, but Ashley drained her savings because she wanted him to feel seen, appreciated, and valued.
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