For ten years I was his wife in every way, platos except for one thing – our official marriage. When I asked him for a signature, he just laughed, “It’s just a piece of paper.” The next morning, his smile disappeared.

When we got home, he went straight to the bedroom and fell asleep after a few minutes.

I stayed in the kitchen.

I sat there alone in the dark, thinking about the ten years we spent together.

I remembered how I paid off his debts.

When I was free at work when he was sick, and I stayed up all night.

When I spent my savings on the advance for our house.

When I added it to my health insurance.

And suddenly I realized one very simple thing.

Michael wanted all the benefits of having a wife, but no of his husband’s responsibilities.

He wanted my home, my stability, my care, my money and my loyalty.

But when I asked for legal protection, he called it “my problem.”

I opened my laptop.

First, I set up a new personal bank account and transferred money to it, which I put off my salary for years. I left enough money in our shared account to cover my share of expenses this month.

Then I changed the account that my salary was affected by. I removed Michael from the list of beneficiaries of my life insurance and called a close friend who worked as a lawyer.