Dear Prudence,
Several months ago, my best friend gave my partner and me a generous financial gift to help us pay for our wedding. The wedding was later postponed due to the pandemic, and I haven’t even taken the cash out of its envelope. Now we’ve had a falling-out because he and my partner have had a protracted fight and he’s ended their friendship. Though I understand the feelings on both sides, I’m also hurt by the way my friend has been treating my partner. I’ve put our own friendship on pause indefinitely. The idea of using this money makes me sad now. He has no respect for my partner anymore, and he’s moving out of our shared apartment soon. Do I give him back this money? Do I talk to him about it? Leave a note? I don’t know what to do.
—Tainted Cash