When my husband begged me to give him a son, he swore that he would be the one to stay home and raise him, so that I could maintain my career. But as soon as our baby was born, he changed his mind and tried to force me to give up everything I had worked for.
When I married Nick, I thought I knew exactly who I would build my future with.
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We were together for five years before we got married. Five good years. We laughed a lot, we rarely fought, and we always felt like we were on the same team.
Nick was charming, funny, and the kind of guy who could light up a room. He worked in marketing. It wasn’t exactly his dream job, but it was stable. I, on the other hand, was a lawyer. A very good one. I worked my way up to a top law firm, taking on high-profile cases, and making more money than Nick.
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And that suited us.
The only thing Nick seemed truly passionate about was having a son.
“I can already imagine it,” he said. “Teaching him baseball, fixing a car together, giving him all the things I never had.”
He kept talking about it, smiling like a child. It’s all he ever wanted.
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I wasn’t against children. But I wasn’t in a hurry either. My career was everything. I had worked too hard to get to this point.
Nick never pushed me. In fact, he was the one who made me the biggest promise.
“When we finally have our boy, I’m going to stay home with him,” he once told me. “You’ve worked too hard to give it up. I’ll take on the role of father full time.”
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I remember staring at him, touched.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Sure,” he answered without hesitation. “That’s what I want. I want to be here, day in and day out. And you? You keep doing what you’re doing. We’ll be a perfect team.”
I believed it.
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And because I believed him, I finally said yes. We started trying to have a child.
It didn’t happen right away. Two years passed before I finally saw those two pink lines. Nick was over the moon.
“A boy! I know it!” he shouted, lifting me off the ground and spinning me around.
When the doctor confirmed it, Nick went into full-on dad mode. He told everyone. His parents, his coworkers, his gym buddies, even the cashier at the grocery store.
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“I’m going to be a stay-at-home dad,” he said proudly. “Best job in the world.”
I loved seeing him so happy.
The pregnancy was complicated, but knowing Nick was excited made it easier. We decorated the nursery together. He read books about caring for babies. He even practiced swaddling a teddy bear one night, completely determined to succeed.
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When the contractions started, Nick was very nervous. I was in pain, exhausted, and feeling every emotion possible, but when I finally held our son in my arms, it felt like it was all worth it.
Nick wiped his eyes. “He’s perfect.”
I thought, ” This is it. This is what we planned. We’re really doing it.” We brought our son home, and for a little while, it felt like the dream was real. Then things started to change.
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The first week was a blur of sleepless nights and newborn chaos. I was exhausted, but I kept reminding myself that Nick was in charge. We are a team.
But the excuses have begun.
Every night it was the same. The baby would cry and Nick would hesitate. If I didn’t pick him up right away, Nick would sigh and say, “I think he needs you more than he needs me.”
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It started to sneak out during the day as well.
“Can you change it quickly? I just sat down.”
“Can you take over? It’s hard and my head hurts.”
I was exhausted, trying to juggle work emails and breastfeeding, and I figured he was just adjusting.
But one evening, everything changed.
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I was sitting on the couch, nursing our son in one arm and typing an email in the other. A partner at the firm had a question about a case, and I couldn’t afford to ignore him.
Nick came in, leaned against the doorframe, and looked at me for a moment. Then, in the most casual tone he could muster, he said, “Honestly, I’ve been thinking… maybe you should quit your job. Stay home with him full time.”
I let out a small laugh, thinking he was joking.
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When I looked up, he was smiling.
“Oh, come on,” he said. “You didn’t think I was serious about staying home, did you? All mothers stay home. I figured it would work out – you know, your natural instinct or something.”
I took a deep breath.
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“Nick,” I said as calmly as I could. “Remember what you promised me? You said I wouldn’t have to give up my career. You said you’d be the stay-at-home parent.”
“Plans change,” he muttered.
I clenched my jaw. “No. You’ve changed.”
He shrugged, completely unfazed. “I just thought… I don’t know. I figured once the baby was here, you’d feel different.”
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“Feel different?” My voice rose now. “Nick, I built my career from nothing. I didn’t wake up one day and become a lawyer. I worked my ass off. And you knew it. You promised me that wouldn’t change.”
Nick shook his head like I didn’t understand. “Look, I just think the baby needs you more. It’s not like I’m doing this to be mean. I just think it’s selfish for a mother to put her job before her child.”
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This word hit me like a slap in the face.
“Selfish?” I repeated.
“Come on,” he said. “You know what I mean.”
I stared at him, gripping the edge of the table so tightly my fingers hurt. This was the moment. The moment when everything inside me snapped.
It’s okay. I’ll resign. But on my terms.
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The next morning, I found Nick at the kitchen table, scrolling through his phone.
I poured myself a cup of coffee, sat down across from him and spoke calmly.
“You’re right,” I said. “I’m going to quit my career.”
Nick looked up. His eyes lit up like a child’s on Christmas morning.
“Really?” he said.
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I smiled. “Yes. But there is one condition.”
He leaned in, waiting for a cute little agreement.
“The day I resign is the same day we file for divorce.”
His smile disappeared.
“What ?”
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I took a sip of my coffee, letting my words sink in. “If I quit, I’ll never respect you again. You broke your word, Nick. You let me believe we were partners, and the second things got real, you backtracked. So, I’ll quit my job, but you’ll pay child support based on the salary I should have been making. And I’ll take full custody, because I refuse to raise my son with a man who doesn’t keep his promises.”
Nick blinked. “You can’t be serious.”
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I tilted my head. “Oh, I am. And trust me, the court is going to love hearing how you pressured me to resign after swearing you’d take care of the kids.”
His mouth opened, then closed. He looked completely lost, like he didn’t expect me to fight back.
That night he packed his bag and went to his parents’ house. That’s fine with me.
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The next afternoon, my phone rang. Nick’s mother.
I sighed before answering. “Hello, Susan.”
“Darling,” she said softly, “know that we are on your side.”
This caught me off guard. “Excuse me?”
She sighed. “Nick told us everything. And let’s just say his dad had a few words for him.”
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I sat up. “What kind of words?”
She hesitated, then I heard her father’s voice in the background, muttering.
“He made a promise,” his father said. “He can’t back out because it’s hard. This woman has worked so hard to build her career, and he thinks he can just take that away from her? He told everyone he was going to stay home. Everyone.”
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I pressed my lips together, feeling a strange mix of satisfaction and disbelief.
Susan came back on the line. “He’s embarrassed. And honestly? He should be.”
“Yes,” I said. “He should.”
A few days later, Nick came home.
He looked different. Calmer. He sat across from me and rubbed his hands together.
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“I was scared,” he admitted. “I thought I could do it, and when it got hard, I panicked. I tried to pin it on you because… I don’t know. I thought it would be easier.”
I crossed my arms. “Easier for whom?”
He exhaled. “For me.”
Finally. A little honesty.
Nick looked up at me. “I was wrong. I realize that now. And I’m sorry. I want to make it right.”
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For the first time since the baby was born, I saw the man I had married. We sat down and established new rules.
I kept my career. Nick got involved – he really got involved. He took care of the baby, fed him at night, cooked meals. We hired a part-time nanny for my long work days.
Months passed and Nick became the father he always claimed he wanted to be.
Is it perfect? No. But it’s real.
A man playing with his son ⏐ Source: Pexels
And every now and then, when things get tough, I remind him, “I was serious about the divorce, you know.”
Nick smiled. “Yes, and I’ll never take that risk again.”
Lesson learned: Never break your promises, especially to a lawyer.
A happy woman lying on the floor ⏐ Source: Pexels
If you liked this story, be sure to read this one : Lisa is a doctor and her husband, Nick, is a freelance designer, making her the main breadwinner in the family. But when Nick gave Lisa her Christmas present, she got more than she bargained for.
This work is inspired by real events and persons, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to real events is purely coincidental and is not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims as to the accuracy of events or portrayal of characters and are not responsible for any misinterpretations. This story is provided “as is,” and all opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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