At first, I thought my husband waking me up every morning at 4:30 a.m. was just a series of innocent accidents. But soon, I realized it was deliberate. He was waking me because he believed that since I was home all day, I wasn’t doing enough and needed to feel the same exhaustion he did. We’d been married four years. I once thought he was a good partner caring, attentive, loving.
But slowly, things changed. He worked his office job, went to the gym, met friends, and left me to handle the kids, the house, and even school while juggling college and extra courses. Despite all this, he never contributed financially beyond the basics or helped much with household responsibilities. His excuse that waking me up made things “fair” was a thin veil for resentment.
He wanted me tired and unsettled, quietly punishing me for not fitting his idea of what I should be doing. That morning, when I confronted him, he barely understood the damage he’d done. I started seeking help quietly counseling, legal advice, and planning for custody. When I finally filed for divorce, it wasn’t out of anger but clarity.
I saw him not as the man I married, but as someone who resented me for simply being myself. Now, I’m rebuilding my life. I study, work, parent, and rest without apology. I’ve learned that fairness means lifting each other up, not dragging each other down and I’m done shrinking to fit his version of “balance.”