When I first became a mom, I thought my husband Drew and I were a team. We were navigating the sleepless nights and daily chaos of life with our six-month-old daughter, Sadie. But when I got sick, I saw a side of our relationship I hadn’t expected—and it changed everything.
About a month ago, I came down with a bad virus. It wasn’t anything major—just one of those stubborn bugs that knocks you out for days. I was completely wiped out, but still trying to keep up with everything: caring for Sadie, managing the house, and pushing through the exhaustion.
Drew had been a little distant even before I got sick. He was always on his phone, brushing off questions with “just work stuff.” Still, I figured we’d get through this rough patch. But one night, while I was rocking Sadie with a fever and a relentless cough, he looked at me and said, “You always look tired.”
Of course I looked tired. I was tired—physically and emotionally.
That same night, when my fever climbed to 102, I asked him if he could take care of Sadie for just twenty minutes so I could rest.
His response? “I can’t. Your coughing is keeping me up. I think I’m going to stay at my parents’ for a few nights.”
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