For most of our relationship, my husband and I had been a two-income household.
He had always been the hardest-working person I knew. For nearly nine years, he rarely took a real break. Even while we were dating, he was constantly chasing promotions, taking on extra projects, and staying late at the office.
We dated for seven years before getting married. During that time, he focused on building his career while I concentrated on finishing my studies. When I graduated and found a job, I was proud to contribute financially. We had already lived together for five years, so by the time we married, we were accustomed to sharing expenses and planning our future together.
Then everything changed.
Two years into our marriage, I finally received the promotion I had been working toward for years. It was the kind of opportunity people waited their entire careers for.
There was just one problem: the promotion required us to move to another state.
My husband would have to resign from the job he had held for almost a decade.
I remember sitting across from him at the kitchen table, feeling guilty.
“Are you really okay with this?” I asked.
He smiled and took my hand.
“Of course I am. This is your chance. We’ll figure everything else out.”
I believed him.
We packed our lives into boxes and moved. The promotion came with a significant raise, and at first, everything seemed fine. We had talked about starting a family, and the extra income gave us the financial stability we thought we needed.
But my husband didn’t get another job.
At first, I wasn’t worried. After years of working nonstop, I assumed he needed time to recover. He told me he was looking and didn’t want to rush into the wrong position.
