I Came Home Early From My Girls’ Trip To Surprise My Husband And…

The Shadow Behind the Vows

I came home early from my girls’ trip to surprise my husband and overheard him on the phone.

“Marriage is a complete nightmare, bro. I wake up every day regretting my decision. If it wasn’t for her family’s money, I’d be gone already.”

We had just celebrated our three-year anniversary. I quietly left and returned at my normal time, greeting him with a kiss.

Five days later, he called me twenty-seven times in one hour because he understood what I did. So, I don’t even know where to begin with this. My hands are literally shaking as I type this out on my phone.

I’ve deleted and rewritten this post like seven times already. Everyone’s asleep in the house and I’m just sitting here in the bathroom with the shower running so Connor doesn’t hear me crying.

Connor and I have been married for three years. He always seemed so genuine compared to the guys I usually met through my family’s social circles.

My family has money, not like crazy rich, but comfortable enough that I’ve never worried about bills. Connor comes from a middle-class background.

We renewed our vows last weekend at this small ceremony with just our closest friends and family. He literally cried reading his vows to me.

“Y’all cried.”

Said I was the best thing that ever happened to him. Anyway, I was on a girls’ trip to Nashville with my three besties from college.

We’ve been planning it for months. We had all these plans: spa days, wine tours, checking out that new rooftop bar everyone’s been posting about on TikTok.

But on the second day, Scarlet got food poisoning from this sketchy hot chicken place and Tina had some emergency she had to handle remotely. The trip was falling apart, so we decided to cut it short.

I thought, hey, perfect opportunity to surprise Connor. He’s always saying how much he misses me when I’m gone, always texting me those “wish you were here” selfies from our couch with his sad puppy eyes.

So, I took an early flight back. I stopped to pick up his favorite nachos from this hole-in-the-wall place near our house and some craft beer he’s been obsessed with lately.

I was so excited to surprise him. I had this whole image in my head of his face lighting up when he saw me.

I came in through the garage using my code so I could really surprise him. Our house has this weird layout where you can’t see into the living room from the entryway.

I could hear him talking upstairs in his gaming room, obviously on the phone since I didn’t hear anyone else. So, I set the food down in the kitchen and quietly headed up the stairs, thinking I’d surprise him mid-call.

And then I heard it.

“Marriage is a complete nightmare, bro. I wake up every day regretting my decision.”

I froze on the stairs. My heart literally stopped. I thought maybe he was joking around with one of his friends, so I waited for the laugh.

But there was no laugh.

“If it wasn’t for her family’s money, I’d be gone already. The only good thing about this whole situation is that I don’t have to worry about rent or bills anymore.”

I could literally feel my heart cracking in half as I stood there.

“The vow renewal thing last weekend? Pure torture, man. Had to stand there making up all this romantic bullshit while her family looked on all misty-eyed.”

“I’ve gotten good at the performance though. Oscar-worthy.”

He laughed then. Actually laughed.

“But hey, small price to pay for the lifestyle, right? Her dad’s talking about bringing me into the family business next year. Once I’m established there, I’ll have options. More options than just being the money wife’s husband.”

The “money wife.” That’s what he calls me behind my back. Three years of marriage and I’m just the money wife to him.

I don’t know how I managed it, but I silently went back downstairs, grabbed the food and beer, and slipped out. I sat in my car in the parking lot for almost two hours just sobbing.

My mascara was everywhere and this old lady actually knocked on my window to ask if I needed help.

“My dog died.”

I told her. The first lie of many I’d tell that day.

I returned the food, told them my husband wasn’t feeling well, and texted the girls that I decided to go to a hotel near the airport so I could catch up on some emails before heading back to Nashville the next day.

I drove around for hours trying to figure out what to do. Every memory of our relationship was replaying in my head with this new, horrible filter.

All those times he insisted on paying for dinner, but only when it was somewhere cheap. How he was so reluctant to let me help with his student loans until I practically forced him.

How he always seemed to have these big dreams but never quite enough motivation to pursue them until my dad offered connections. Our anniversary gift from his parents was this engraved wooden sign for our entryway that says, “Where Your Story Begins.”

I literally stared at it this morning while drinking coffee and thinking our story was just beginning its next chapter. But it turns out our story was actually just a financial transaction for Connor.

I decided to go back to Nashville. I spent the next three days pretending everything was fine with my girlfriends even though I was dying inside and probably drank way too much wine every night.

Then, I came home at my originally scheduled time. And I greeted him with a kiss.

I looked into the eyes of the man who called our marriage a nightmare and kissed him hello like nothing was wrong. I’ve been living this lie for five days now.

Five days of sleeping next to someone who apparently regrets waking up next to me every morning. Five days of analyzing every interaction we’ve ever had, wondering what was real and what was part of his Oscar-worthy performance.

I’ve been checking our accounts. Turns out Connor has been making these weird withdrawals. Nothing huge, but like $200 here, $300 there, always just under the amount we agreed would need a conversation.

Where is that money going? Has he been saving up for his eventual escape? Does he have someone else?

Oh god, does he have someone else? Is there another woman who knows I’m just the money wife to him? Do they laugh about me together?

I haven’t told anyone yet. Not my friends, not my family. Especially not my family.

My dad adores Connor; he is always talking about how he’s like the son he never had. It would break his heart to know Connor only sees him as a meal ticket.

I’ve been making subtle changes, though. Yesterday, I accidentally left open a browser tab with my separate bank account information, the one he doesn’t have access to.

This morning, I mentioned that my dad is actually reconsidering some of his business ventures due to economy concerns. I’ve been working late, being just a little less affectionate, taking more calls in private.

The bathroom sink has been leaking for weeks and Connor kept saying he’d fix it this weekend. Last night, I just called a plumber without telling him.