When my husband begged for a child, he swore he’d be the one to stay home and raise the child so I could maintain my hard-earned career. But as soon as our baby was born, he changed his mind and tried to force me to give up everything I’d worked for.
When I married Nick, I thought I knew exactly who I was building my future with.
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We’d been together for five years before we got married. Five good years. We laughed a lot, argued little, and always felt like we were on the same team.
Nick was charming, funny, and the kind of man 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, handling high-profile cases and earning more money than Nick ever made.
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And we were fine with it.
The only thing Nick seemed to be truly passionate about was having a child.
“I can just imagine,” 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 was all he wanted.
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Me? I wasn’t against children. But I wasn’t in a hurry either. My career was everything. I’d worked hard to get where I was.
Nick never pressured me. In fact, he was the one who made me the biggest promise of all.
“When we finally have our son, I’ll stay home with him,” he told me one day. “You’ve worked too hard to give this up. I’ll take on the role of full-time father.”
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I remember staring at him, moved.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Of course,” he said without hesitation. “I want this. I want to be there, day after day. And you? Just keep doing what you’re doing. We’ll be the perfect team.”
I believed him.
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And since I believed him, I finally said yes. We started trying.
It didn’t happen right away. It took two years until I finally saw those two pink lines. Nick was delighted.
“It’s going to be a boy! I know it!” he shouted, picking me up off the floor and spinning me around.
When the doctor confirmed it, Nick went all dad on. He told everyone. His parents, his coworkers, his gym buddies, even the supermarket cashier.
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“I’m going to be a stay-at-home dad,” he said proudly. “The best job in the world.”
I loved seeing him so happy.
The pregnancy wasn’t easy, but knowing Nick was excited made it easier. We decorated the baby’s room together. He read books about baby care. He even practiced swaddling a teddy bear one night, completely serious about getting it right.
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When the contractions started, Nick was a nervous wreck. I was sore, exhausted, and feeling every emotion I could muster, but when I finally held our son in my arms, it was all worth it.
Nick wiped his eyes. “It’s perfect.”
I thought: This is it. This is what we had planned. We’re really doing it. We brought our son home, and for a while, it felt like the dream was real. Then things started to change.
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The first week was a chaotic mess of sleepless nights with a newborn. I was exhausted, but I kept reminding myself: Nick’s got this. We’re a team.
But then the excuses started.
Every night it was the same. The baby cried, and Nick hesitated. If the baby didn’t calm down right away, Nick would sigh and say, “I think he needs you more than me.”
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He started to drag himself around during the day as well.
“Can you change him quickly? I just sat down.”
“Can you take care of it? He’s restless and my head hurts.”
I was exhausted, trying to juggle work emails with breastfeeding, and yet I told myself I was just adjusting.
However, one night, everything changed.
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I was sitting on the couch, breastfeeding our son with one arm and typing an email with the other. A partner at the firm had a question about a case, and I couldn’t afford to ignore it.
Nick walked in, leaned against the doorframe, and watched me for a moment. Then, in the most casual tone, he said, “Honestly, I’ve been thinking… maybe you should quit your job. Stay home with the baby full-time.”
I let out a small laugh, thinking he was joking.
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When I looked up, he was smiling.
“Come on,” she said. “You didn’t think I was serious about staying home, did you? All mothers stay home. I figured it would just go away, you know, your natural instinct or whatever.”
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 stay home.”
“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 when the baby came you’d feel different.”
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“Feel different?” She raised her voice now. “Nick, I built my career from scratch. I didn’t just wake up one day and become a lawyer. I worked my ass off. And you knew it. You promised me that wouldn’t have to change.”
Nick shook his head as if he didn’t understand. “Look, I just think the baby needs you more. It’s not like I’m doing it to be mean. I just think it’s selfish for a mother to put work before her child.”
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That word hit me like a slap.
“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 ached. That was the moment. The moment everything inside me shattered.
Fine. I’d let him. But on my terms.
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The next morning, I found Nick at the kitchen table, checking his phone.
I poured myself a cup of coffee, sat down across from him, and spoke calmly.
“You’re right,” I said. “I’ll give up my career.”
Nick raised his head. His eyes lit up like a child’s on Christmas morning.
“Really?” he said.
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I smiled. “Yes, but on one condition.”
He leaned toward me, hoping I would come to an agreement.
“The day I leave him will be the same day we file for divorce.”
Her smile disappeared.
“That?”.
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I took a sip of coffee, letting my words sink in. “If I quit, I’ll never respect you again. You’ve broken your word, Nick. You led me to believe we were partners, and as soon as things got serious, you backed out. So I’ll quit my job, but you’ll pay child support based on the salary I should have been making. And I’ll get full custody, because I refuse to raise my child with a man who doesn’t keep his promises.”
Nick blinked. “You’re not serious.”
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I nodded. “Of course I did. And believe me, the court will love hearing how you pressured me to resign after swearing you’d take care of the children.”
He opened his mouth and closed it again. He looked completely lost, as if he hadn’t expected me to defend myself.
That night she packed her suitcase and went to her parents’ house. I thought that was a good idea.
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The next afternoon, my phone rang. Nick’s mother.
I sighed before answering. “Hi, Susan.”
“Honey,” he said softly, “please know we’re on your side.”
That caught me off guard. “What do you mean?”
He sighed. “Nick told us everything. And let’s just say his father had a few words for him.”
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I sat up. “What kind of words?”
He hesitated, and then I heard his father’s voice in the background, grumbling.
“He made a promise,” her father snapped. “He can’t back out just because it’s difficult. That woman has worked her butt off to build a career, and he thinks he can just snatch it away from her? He told everyone he’d stay home. Everyone.”
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I pressed my lips together, feeling a strange mixture of satisfaction and disbelief.
Susan got back on the phone. “He’s embarrassed. And honestly? He should be.”
“Yes,” I said. “I should.”
A couple of days later, Nick came home.
He seemed different. Calmer. He sat across from me, rubbing 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 push you because… I don’t know. I thought it would be easier.”
I crossed my arms. “Easier for whom?”
He exhaled. “For me.”
Finally. Some honesty.
Nick looked at me. “I was wrong. I see that now. And I’m sorry. I want to fix it.”
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For the first time since the baby was born, I saw the man I married. We sat down and made new rules.
I kept my career. Nick stepped up, really stepped up. I took care of the baby, fed him at night, prepared meals. We hired a part-time nanny to cover my long work days.
Months passed and Nick became the father he always said he wanted to be.
Is it perfect? No. But it’s real.
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And every now and then, when things get tough, I remind him, “I was serious about the divorce, you know?”
Nick smiles. “Yes, and I won’t risk it again.”
Lesson learned: Never break your promises, especially to a lawyer.
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This work is inspired by real events and people, 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 not the author’s intention.
The author and publisher do not guarantee the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters, and are not responsible for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and the opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.
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