31/10/2025
When I married my husband, I thought we both wanted the same things. I carried the whole household, thinking I was supporting him in whatever work he did from his home office until I discovered what the "work" actually was. For the past three years, I'd been married to Jake, a man who called himself "the busiest man on Earth." That's how he justified locking himself away in his home office for hours on end. But one day I became privy to his "work," and everything changed between us. Jake often spoke of "building our future," a phrase he used so often it might as well have been his motto. I believed him. I wanted to. Isn't that what love is? Supporting your partner, even when it's hard? To ease his stress, I took on all the other work. I raised our two children, managed the house, and even worked part-time to help stretch our tight budget. But lately, everything felt like it was slipping through my fingers—our finances, my sanity, and, most painfully, my trust in Jake. Although our bills were always late and the struggle was constant, I trusted him when he promised that he was "so close" to a breakthrough. He spent most of his days locked in his bare "office," saying he was in "important meetings" or "crunching numbers." I was forced to adjust our whole lives to support him, including keeping the children as quiet as possible and timing my chores to avoid disturbing him. Our days followed a predictable pattern. Jake would wake up early, scarf down breakfast with a quick "Got a big meeting today," and then disappear into his so-called "war room." He called it that as if he were strategizing for a global takeover. But for all his ambition, our bills remained overdue. But yesterday was different, and things changed drastically from that point onward... It was a Wednesday, the kind of day that dragged on forever. The kids were out of school, which meant extra chaos because they became restless. Tyler, my youngest, kept running circles around the dining table with the dog barking in gleeful harmony. My older daughter, Mia, was practicing her cartwheels in the living room. All the while, I scrubbed the kitchen counters, trying to keep some semblance of order while also making an effort to be as quiet as possible. "Keep it down!" I hissed at Tyler as he whooshed past me. "Daddy's working." "But Mommy," he whined, clutching the dog's collar, "Scruffy wants to play!" I sighed. I didn't have it in me to argue. Jake had locked himself in his office hours ago. He'd reminded us at breakfast, "I've got a critical meeting today. Zero interruptions." I nodded, like always, though the words stung. Zero interruptions had become our family's unofficial rule. As I wiped down the stove, my mind wandered. When was the last time Jake and I really talked? Not about bills or the kids, but about us? About anything real? I shook off the thought, focusing on the task at hand. Then it happened. When Tyler ran through chasing the dog, he frightened me and the frying pan slipped from my hand, clanging against the tile floor with a sound so loud it made Mia scream and my son laugh. "Oops!" Tyler giggled, his hands flying to his mouth. The next moment, Jake burst out of his office, his face red and eyes blazing! "Can YOU not keep it down for one single minute?!" he roared, startling the kids into silence. "Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is during a work meeting?" I froze, clutching the counter for support. "Jake, I—" He cut me off, his voice dripping with frustration. "You're unbelievable, you know that? I'm in there busting my ass, and you can't even manage to keep things quiet!" The kids were staring at us, wide-eyed and silent. Tyler clung to Scruffy's fur as if the dog could shield him from the tension. I opened my mouth to apologize, but then I heard it, a woman's voice. Soft, playful, and utterly out of place in our home. I turned toward the office door, my stomach tightening. "Jake," I said slowly, "who's in there?" His face turned from anger to panic in an instant. "It's just a client," he stammered, blocking the doorway. "Stay out of it." But I wasn't buying it! My gut twisted with suspicion as I pushed past him and stepped into the room. The sight before me was surreal! (continue reading in the 1st comment)⤵️
