My husband, James, got promoted at work, and that’s when everything changed. He demanded we split finances 50/50 knowing I settled for a part-time job in order to raise our daughter.
When Emily was born, James thought it would be for the best if I cut my work hours and be there for her. I somehow felt it wasn’t a good idea, because honestly, my job meant a lot to me, but since he pushed the idea, I finally agreed.
I had been working on a number of consulting projects I wasn’t willing to give up on, but James managed to convince me that me being at home with Emily was more important.
Although I still went to work, part-time, that diminished all my chances of climbing up the corporate leader.
A couple of years later, James came home one day bringing a champagne.
“Honey, I made it,” he said, “I got that promotion. And the salary… you won’t believe this, it’s doubled.”
I felt genuinely happy for him.
As he took out glasses from the cabinet, ready to open the champagne and celebrate his success, he turned to me and said, “And that has got me thinking, we need to discuss our finances.”
“Our finances!?” I asked, not assuming what he meant by that.
“You see, now that my salary doubled, we should split finances 50/50. The errands, the mortgage, everything.”
I was waiting for him to tell me he was joking, but James was dead serious.
“James, how can you expect we split finances 50/50 when I only have a part-time job?” I asked. “I’m home with Emily most of the time, this doesn’t make any sense.”
But then, James turned to me and said, “That’s on you, you were the one who settled for less.”
His words felt like a knife. I reminded him that he was the one who forced me to reduce my work hours, but he was so consumed with his promotion, that he ignored everything I had to say.
After giving it some thought, I agreed, but only if we did it in writing.
The following day, we signed the agreement and had it notarized.
Honestly, the next two years were a living hell. I was having a hard time splitting the expenses while doing everything around the house, but I had a plan and I just waited for the right time to put it into action.
As of James, he changed to the extent I no longer recognized him. He became full of himself and started treating me as I was not worthy.
He replaced all his clothes with expensive suits, started visiting expensive restaurants, and showed his love for golf all of a sudden.
What’s most, he never invited me anywhere, claiming I wouldn’t know what to speak to his colleagues since I was home most of the time. He truly believed I was living under a rock.
When Emily turned six, I felt it was about time I have my revenge on the man who humiliated me over and over again.
The call I made changed our lives forever.
One day, my husband came home struggling to stop the tears from falling down his face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him, totally aware of what was going on.
“They are demoting me. Apparently, my position is being ‘restructured.’ I didn’t even get my old job back, but even a lower position.”
James complained that it didn’t make any sense. But it did.
“See, James, you got that promotion because of my connections to your boss, Mike. The two of us go way back. I’ve never mentioned that because I didn’t want you to feel like you didn’t work hard enough for it. But since you’ve changed, I decided to take it back.”
James couldn’t believe my words.
“And you know what? He offered me your position, and I accepted it.”
Still shocked, James said, “Well, at least we’ll still be earning a lot.”
“No, James, there is no WE. Don’t you remember the contract? We still split our finances 50/50.”
James said it was ridiculous. But of course it wasn’t. If I could do it, then he should have been able to manage too.
As expected, it didn’t take long before James realized the role reversal was too much for him.
Eventually, we decided to split, and that was the best decision I’ve ever made. When signing the divorce papers, James’ agreement on our finances came to him one final time, but honestly, that’s what he deserved.
