I did everything I could for my husband, but he always seemed dissatisfied. One day, I woke up to to voices coming from the hall along with a woman’s voice. “How could he?” I thought. That was the last straw for me.

I am a project manager at a bank, and our latest project has been the hardest yet. I often came home late and sometimes had to work at the weekends.

I have a house and a husband to take care of, though my husband isn’t as helpful as he used to be. He doesn’t cook, doesn’t help with chores, and hardly goes food shopping. I end up doing almost everything.

Aiden didn’t seem to listen when I told him about my struggles. One day, I came home at 9 pm, and the first thing I heard was, “Where have you been?”

“I had a lot of work today. I told you I’d be home late.”

“You didn’t tell me!”

“Yeah, I did. A couple of times. It’s the project I’m working on.”

Aiden said, “Whatever, Claire. I’m hungry. Are you making dinner or not?” while watching soccer.

“I don’t think there’s much food left… We need to buy some.”

“I’ll wait. You can go to the store,” he said without looking away from the TV.

So I grabbed my wallet and then left.

“Why did you take so long? I’m starving!” Aiden said. I rushed to the kitchen to cook dinner. Meanwhile, he ate in silence and went back to the TV, leaving me with the mess in the kitchen.

Can’t he even wash his own plate? I thought. I didn’t say anything, too tired to start a fight. I cleaned up and went to bed.

The next morning, my nose was stuffy, my throat hurt, and my head was pounding.

“You’re late… Where’s breakfast?” Aiden’s first words to me weren’t “good morning.”

I went to the kitchen to make breakfast. Aiden was ready to leave and said, “Never mind, you’re too slow. I’ll be late,” and slammed the door behind him.

I made some tea with honey and lemon, then went back to bed. I sat there, trying to remember when Aiden started treating me so badly. He wasn’t always like this…

But I couldn’t remember the last time Aiden helped or supported me in any way. Even when he was wrong, he always found a way to put blame o me. I cried myself to sleep.

I woke up to voices in the hall. Is he home? Did he forget something?

“Get out, I think she’s home…” Aiden whispered. “It won’t work today.” I got up and quietly opened the door. I was stunned to see a beautiful brunette standing in the hall.

“Dear,” she said, “when will we meet again?”

“On the weekend. I’ll pick a fight with her, and we can go away for two days,” Aiden replied.

“That’s great!” she squealed and hugged him.

“Shhh, be quiet…!”

I was sh0cked at what I was seeing, so I went back to bed. They didn’t even try to hide! I decided I needed to teach him a lesson.

Why am I allowing myself to be treated like this by a man who’s supposed to love me? Something shifted inside me.

As soon as Aiden left the house, I felt better. I called someone to change the locks. The apartment was mine.

Then I gathered all his belongings, packed them into suitcases and boxes, and walked around the house to make sure nothing of his was left.

I spent the whole day packing until he came home and rang the doorbell. “What happened to the lock? Why don’t my keys work?”

“You didn’t even greet me!” I said.

“What’s this?” Aiden asked, pointing to his stuff. “What’s going on, Claire?”

“This is where you leave, Aiden. I’m done. Take your stuff and go with your mistress! I’m filing for divorce.”

Aiden stared at me, saying “Who is she? Where’s the quiet wife who did everything I wanted?”

“Aiden, I know everything. You don’t love me. You’ve just been using me. Go, and don’t come back. I won’t forgive you.”

Aiden looked sh0cked. “Alright. I’m leaving, but you’ll regret this!” He called a cab, grabbed his stuff, and left.

The next day, I filed for divorce, and it was finalized a month later. Aiden was in sh0cked. He tried several times to talk to me, but I refused.

Since the day Aiden left, I’ve felt like a new woman. I take care of myself, love myself, and never let anyone disrespect me.