Carefree Wife Mocks Hardworking Husband, after His Hospitalization They Switch Places – Story of the Day

I worked hard to provide for my family, but my wife blew all our money away. After passing out at work, I made a tough call that left her in a tight spot. She had to work and sell her things to get by. But would this be the wake-up call she really needed?

Debra and I got married when we were both 20. I was working two jobs, and she was a waitress at a restaurant in Miami. Two years later, she got pregnant and quit her job to become a stay-at-home mother. I loved the idea of a traditional family and decided to work harder to provide for us.

However, when Debra delivered our second child, she said she couldn't look after two kids on her own and asked for a nanny. "I can't do this alone anymore. I know you work hard, honey, but raising kids is also work. I never get a break," she told me.

I didn't want her to be unhappy, so we started paying for a full-time nanny. She came from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and Debra was really happy. However, keeping the nanny was expensive, so I had to pick up even more hours at work to afford it. At some point, I worked 18 hours, six days a week, to provide for our family.

Honestly, I thought the nanny would be temporary, but when I mentioned letting her go, Debra cried until I agreed to keep her. It was a nightmare for me, but things only got worse. My wife started going out with some of her friends, one of whom married a wealthy man and loved shopping. Debra pretended to have just as much money and shopped with her.

I thought talking to Debra could convince her to cut down on her expenses. So, one evening, after the kids were tucked in, I broached the topic. "Debra, we've got to talk about our spending. With the kids and all, we've got to be mindful about every dollar," I said. "The designer bag you bought today... We can't keep up with that kind of lifestyle. You'll have to choose: the bag or the nanny."

Once again, she started crying, painting me as the bad guy.

"You have no idea what it's like for me! I'm at home all day, bored and lonely. My friends have been such a solace, and I wanted this little luxury for me. After all, I gave up my job to raise our family. I gave you two kids! How can you be so cruel?"

I didn't want to fight and let it go for the night. But Debra's attitude only got worse. Her shopping habits were financially unreasonable, and I got tired of it.

***

"Hey, Alvin, man. Are you ok?" my work buddy, Joshua, asked me one day. We were picking up boxes from storage when I swayed on my feet.

"Yeah, I'm ok," I replied, shaking my head to clear my thoughts. But I was not alright. I fainted right on the spot, with a big heavy box on my chest. Luckily, Joshua called an ambulance, and my company took care of the hospital expenses and gave me a little extra money.

The doctor said I was too stressed and needed time to relax. But how could I relax? With my wife spending all our money, I needed to work even harder. That's when I realized what was wrong with my life.

"I can't take this anymore," I said to myself, alone in my hospital bed because the nurse had not been able to communicate with Debra yet. It was time to teach my wife a lesson.

***

I'm leaving Debra. Don't look for me. Good Luck.

Alvin.

Debra stared at the small letter I had left for her. She finally answered the phone and came to the hospital. I was quiet and told the nurses I only wanted to sleep. So she went home.

When she woke up the next morning, she discovered the letter on my side of the bed. I had had enough and could no longer stay in an unhappy marriage. Leaving her seemed like the best option at the time.

So I took some of my clothes and other important things from home early in the morning while Debra was fast asleep and left. I didn't want to cross paths with her again. I even decided to start fresh, but fate had different plans.

***

"Deb, you look terrible. Maybe you should take a break," Debra's boss told her. She had been working as a waitress at a restaurant for several months since I left. Debra was in a position where she didn't even have time for breaks. She was always thinking about making money and supporting our children.

I did not answer her calls, and when she messaged me on Instagram, I refused to reply.

Naturally, Debra had to find a job, fire the nanny, and figure out what to do now that she was a single mother to two children. Only now did she realize how expensive her lifestyle had become.

Even after she had scaled back on everything, she was barely getting by. That led to her selling all of her designer things, and that money helped a lot, but it wasn't enough. It was never enough; Debra knew that. She was only working eight hours a day but was on her feet all day. And now her boss had noticed.

"No, I'm fine, Mrs. Calahan. I'm sorry to worry you," she told the older woman.

"Let me help you. I have a lawyer. You have to sue for child support," Mrs. Calahan offered for the millionth time.

"No, Mrs. Calahan. I can't do that," Debra said, noticing the look on her boss's face. "No, it's not my pride. I swear. This is all my fault. I was so selfish. So thoughtless. I can't blame him for leaving us stranded. I worked 18-hour days sometimes, and I went out and bought luxury purses that are worth nothing."

"Still, it's not right," Mrs. Calahan continued, her eyes full of pity.

"I'm going to get my family through this. I've learned my lesson. Besides, it's only been four months, and I think we have a routine set up already. Our neighbor said she would watch the kids for free, and I'm finally learning how to budget our household. I'll be fine without him. Don't worry about me," Debra insisted and continued her shift.

Debra might have been brave in front of her boss, but she walked home with her shoulders hunched. She didn't blame me and knew I had tried to talk to her about her senseless spending, but she still wondered how I could leave them like that.

"Hey!"

Debra stopped. I knew she was shocked to see me after four months of no messages, calls, or replies. I stood there, outside her house, waiting for her.

I knew Debra was stalking me on Instagram all these months. She knew I had gone on trips around the country. She knew I went to the beach and ate delicious food with my friends, all while she struggled to support our children.

Was I wrong? Yes. And that was the reason I decided to meet her. I needed to take responsibility for my actions.

The moment she looked at me, her eyes began to water. But she didn't cry this time. "What are you doing here?" she asked, walking faster toward the house.

"I'm here with our official divorce papers," I said matter-of-factly.

"Oh… ok," she replied slowly and grabbed the envelope I offered.

"I'm going to pay you child support and alimony. I was never going to leave our kids stranded forever. But I needed you to learn just a bit about what I went through over the past years. I worked tirelessly for someone who didn't appreciate it enough. I even passed out and was rushed to the hospital, but they weren't able to contact you for hours," I said. That's when Debra's tears finally fell.

"Alvin, I'm so sorry. But you should've talked to me," she voiced quietly.

"Maybe, but I took this route. Although, I do have to apologize for what I did. I realized after some time that leaving like that without a word was wrong, and that's why I'm here to make things right. Our separation has to be official, and I'll take responsibility for you and our kids. I'm sorry you had to work that hard thinking I wasn't coming back. Anyway, look at the papers, hire a lawyer, and we'll work things out about co-parenting the kids," I said and headed to my car.

"Is there no way we can work things between us too? I still love you, Alvin," Debra called out. I stopped but didn't turn around.

"No. We can't. I can't go back to that. We'll be civil for the girls, but that's it," I stated finally and got into my car.

Debra finally called a lawyer and arranged everything. Now that I was paying child support and alimony, she didn't have to work so hard. But she continued to do it and racked up some savings.

Years later, I married another woman, and Debra met a new man. We both moved on with our lives, but Debra once told me she still wonders how our lives would've turned out if she hadn't acted so entitled and manipulative.

The thing is, if one can't appreciate their partner, their marriage will never survive. That's what happened with Debra and me. But I'm glad Debra and I have healed from our past and moved forward.

One can't avoid making mistakes but can learn from them and become better humans and partners.

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