Maybe if I left, he could finally rest.
Maybe his parents and relatives could help.
Maybe I was the reason he was pushing himself too hard.
The thought kept circling in my mind.
By morning, I had almost convinced myself.
When he woke up, I told him.
“I've been thinking…”
He was making breakfast.
He stopped.
“I think maybe I should go back to your hometown for a while.”
His expression changed immediately.
“Why?”
“So you can rest.”
He didn't answer.
“You've done too much,” I continued. “You're working all day. You come home and take care of me and the baby. You're not sleeping enough. You're getting sick.”
He put down what he was holding.
Then he walked over to me.
“You think sending you away will make me feel better?”
I didn't know what to say.
“You think I'd be less tired because my wife and baby aren't here?”
His voice was gentle, but there was pain in it.
“I don't work this hard because I want to escape from you.”
“I work because I want to build this life with you.”
I started crying again.
He wiped my tears.
“You keep thinking you're a burden.”
“You're not.”
“You're my wife.”
“You're the mother of my child.”
“This is our home.”
Then he smiled.
“Besides, if I send you away, who am I supposed to come home to?”
For the first time in weeks, I laughed through my tears.
We Needed Help—And Finally Admitted It
But there was something neither of us wanted to admit.
Love was not enough to make us invincible.
We were exhausted.
We needed help.
So instead of me leaving permanently, we started looking for other solutions.
My husband spoke honestly with his employer and adjusted his workload where he could.
I contacted one of his relatives again.
This time, instead of pretending we were managing perfectly, we admitted the truth.
“We're struggling.”