When my husband begged for a son, he swore he would be the one to stay home and raise him so I could keep my hard-earned career. But the moment 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 was building my future with. We had been together for five years before tying the knot. Five good years. We laughed a lot, fought rarely, and 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. Not exactly his dream job, but it was stable. I, on the other hand, was an attorney. A really good one. I worked my way up in a top law firm, handling high-profile cases and making more money than Nick ever did. And we were fine with that.
The only thing Nick ever seemed truly passionate about was having a son.
“I can already picture it,” he’d say, his eyes shining. “Teaching him baseball, fixing up a car together, giving him all the things I never had.”
He would go on and on about it, grinning like a kid himself. It was all he ever wanted.
Me? I wasn’t against kids, but I wasn’t in a rush either. My career was everything. I had worked too hard to get where I was. Nick never pushed me. In fact, he was the one who made the biggest promise of all.
“When we finally have our boy, I’ll stay home with him,” he told me one day, full of certainty. “You’ve worked too hard to give this up. I’ll take the dad role full-time.”
I remember staring at him, touched. “Are you sure?” I asked.
“Of course,” he said without hesitation. “I want this. I want to be there, day in and day out. And you? You keep doing what you’re doing. We’ll be the perfect team.”
I believed him.
And because I believed him, I finally said yes. We started trying.
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 just know it!” he shouted, lifting me off the ground and spinning me around.
When the doctor confirmed it, Nick went into full-blown dad mode. He told everyone. His parents, his coworkers, his gym buddies, even the cashier at the grocery store.
“I’m gonna be a stay-at-home dad,” he’d say proudly. “Best job in the world.”
I loved seeing him that happy.
Pregnancy wasn’t easy, but knowing Nick was excited made it easier. We decorated the nursery together. He read books about baby care. He even practiced swaddling a stuffed bear one night, completely serious about getting it right.
When the contractions started, Nick was a nervous wreck. I was in pain, exhausted, and feeling every emotion possible, but when I finally held our son in my arms, everything felt worth it.
Nick wiped his eyes. “He’s perfect.”
I thought, This is it. This is what we planned for. We’re really doing this.
We brought our son home, and for a little while, it felt like the dream was real. Then things started to change.
The first week was a blur of sleepless nights and newborn chaos. 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 thing. 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 me.”
It started creeping into the daytime too.
“Can you change him real quick? I just sat down.”
“Can you take over? He’s fussy, and I have a headache.”
I was exhausted, trying to balance work emails with breastfeeding, and still, I told myself he’s just adjusting.
However, one night, everything shifted.
I was sitting on the couch, nursing 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 work. Just stay home with him full-time.”
I let out a short laugh, thinking he was joking.
When I looked up, he was smirking.
“Oh, come on,” he said. “You didn’t think I was serious about staying home, right? All moms stay home. I figured it would kick in — you know, your natural instinct or whatever.”
I took a deep breath. “Nick,” I said as calmly as I could. “Do you 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 changed.”
He shrugged, completely unfazed. “I just thought… I don’t know. I figured once the baby was here, you’d feel different.”
I stared at him, gripping the edge of the table so hard my fingers hurt. That was it. The moment everything in me snapped.
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’ll quit my career.”
Nick’s head snapped up. His eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning.
“Really?” he said.
I smiled. “Yep. But there’s one condition. The day I quit is the same day we file for divorce.”
His smile disappeared.
“What?”
“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 backed out. So, I’ll leave 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’re not serious.”
I tilted my head. “Oh, I am. And trust me, the court will love hearing how you pressured me to quit after swearing you’d handle childcare.”
That night, he packed a bag and went to his parents’ house. Fine by me.
A few days later, he came home. He sat down across from me, rubbing his hands together. “I was scared,” he admitted. “I thought I could do it, and when it got hard, I panicked. I tried to push it onto you because… I don’t know. I just thought it would be easier.”
I crossed my arms. “Easier for who?”
“For me.” He exhaled. “I was wrong. I see that now. And I’m sorry. I want to make this right.”
Months passed, and Nick became the father he always claimed he wanted to be. Is it perfect? No. But it’s real.
And every once in a while, when things get tough, I remind him, “I was serious about the divorce, you know.”
Nick grins. “Yeah, and I’m never risking that again.”
