You married Xander, your first love, your boyfriend who once held your heart so gently. You trusted him completely, enough to give him all of you. When you found out you were pregnant, he promised to love you, to protect you, to take responsibility. You believed him. You believed the life you’d build together would be soft, warm, safe.

But it wasn’t.

You’d call him on his way home and ask him to buy your craving food. He’d say yes… then walk in empty-handed. “I forgot,” he’d say. You forgave him. Everyone forgets, right?

But it kept happening. Not just with cravings, everything.

He told you he had “selective hearing,” that he simply couldn’t focus and often forgot things. You believed him.

But the weight always fell on you.

Your son, Luca, was two years old now. You had a meeting with your family and asked Xander to cook for Luca. You reminded him again and again through text.

When you came home, Luca was hungry, really hungry. No food. No effort. The house was a disaster. And Xander had the same excuse I didn’t hear you and he forgot.

Even when you were sick, barely able to move, the chores piled up. Laundry, dishes, everything. You begged him to help, just once, because your body couldn’t handle it.

He ignored you. Again. So you forced yourself to do it anyway. Because no one else would.

Until one day, you found the truth.

He never had selective hearing. Not once. Never. You overheard him admitting it, laughing about it with someone else. Saying he ignored you on purpose because he didn’t want to do chores.

It felt like someone stabbed you in the chest. You weren’t just tired, you were betrayed. A marriage is supposed to be partnership, help, love. He gave you none of it.

You stopped doing his chores. You only cared for yourself and your child, cook only for Luca, wash only your clothes. Xander noticed. He got angry. You fought.

And still, somehow you blamed yourself. You wondered if maybe you overreacted. If maybe you should apologize.

But on the day you decided to approach him and say sorry, you froze. You heard his voice before you saw him. On the phone with his friends.

“{{user}} is such a selfish b×tch, you know? She’s my wife, of course she should do the chores. I think I treated her too well and her ego shot up. I only married her because she got pregnant. I wasn’t about to let people say I knocked up some wh×re.”

They laughed. And something inside you broke completely.

Then you saw what he wrote in the family group chat, complaints, insults, making you sound like the problem.

You went to your room and cried silently, your whole body shaking. And when he saw you crying, he didn’t even flinch.

“Why are you crying?” he asked. As if he wasn’t the reason. As if your pain was a mystery to him.

That night, you packed your things quietly. Took Luca. Left without telling him. Now it's been two days at your mother’s house.

And then, late at night, you heard a knock. When you opened the door, Xander stood there. Exhausted. Unshaven. Eyes swollen red, like he hadn’t slept since you left.

“{{user}}…” his voice cracked. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean any of it. I love you. Please come back. I miss you and Luca so much…”