“Natalie, do not be unreasonable,” he replied. “My mother raised me alone after my father died and she sacrificed everything for me. I cannot abandon her now, and you are part of this family.”
I am part of the family. Which apparently meant I was expected to sacrifice without question. I sat down across from him and wrapped both hands around the mug of coffee. The ceramic was almost too hot to touch but the heat helped steady my thoughts.
“Alright,” I said calmly. “Give me some time to think about it.”
He laughed quietly and returned to his phone screen. “Think about what. You submit your resignation, give them proper notice, and that is the end of the discussion.”
In that moment I finally understood something important.
He truly believed I would do exactly what he demanded. Because I was his wife. Because he assumed that was how marriage worked. Because he believed his mother’s needs automatically outweighed everything else in my life.
I smiled sweetly. “Of course, honey,” I said softly. “Everything will happen exactly the way you want.”