When my mom had a stroke, I planned to spend three days helping her adjust at home. I asked my husband, Liam, if I could take the car we shared every day. Without looking up from his phone, he said, “Sure—$65 a day.” In that moment, I didn’t feel like his wife or the mother of his child, just a stranger renting space. I quietly called my friend Jess to drive me instead and left the next morning without another word. As I sat in the car watching our home fade from view, I wondered when my marriage had stopped being a partnership.
During my visit, I helped my mom with meals, medications, and appointments. One evening, while sipping tea, she noticed my sadness and gently encouraged me to open up. I told her everything—not just about the car, but about feeling alone in a relationship where I carried the unseen weight of parenting, housework, and emotional labor. She reminded me, “Marriage is teamwork. You deserve someone who stands with you, not someone who charges you to care for your own family.”
