But the comments piled up until one night, after a long day where two kids had fevers and the baby refused to nap, Mark came home, dropped his briefcase on the floor, and exploded.

“This is ridiculous,” he snapped when he saw dishes piled in the sink and toys scattered across the living room. “What do you do all day, Maddy? Seriously. You’ve let yourself turn into a parasite. I work, I pay for everything, and you can’t even keep the house clean.”

The word “parasite” hit me like a slap. I felt heat rise in my chest, tears sting my eyes, but I didn’t cry. Not in front of him. Instead, I went silent, cleaned up what I could, and tucked the kids into bed that night with a smile on my face they didn’t know was fake.