I had never spoken to him like that.
Maybe he hadn’t expected it.
The Note
Then Ethan asked:
“What was the note?”
I didn’t answer.
He found it.
He read it aloud.
It said:
You wanted two weeks without responsibilities.
So I packed everything you need to remember what responsibility looks like.
Three babies. One exhausted wife. One family.
You said you needed a vacation.
I needed a partner.
When you return, we need to have a serious conversation.
There was silence.
For several seconds, Ethan said nothing.
Then he asked:
“Did you really think I deserved this?”
I looked around our home.
The bottles.
The blankets.
The laundry.
The three babies.
“Yes.”
The First Crack
The next morning, Ethan called again.
His anger was gone.
He sounded tired.
“I didn’t realize it was this bad.”
I closed my eyes.
“What did you think I was doing?”
“I thought you were managing.”