“Everyone, meet our newest team member,” Carol announced to the group nearby. “Nora will be joining our marketing department on Monday as our new Communications Director. Some of you might know her from another role.”
The smirks and raised eyebrows around the group showed everyone caught the drift.
I sipped my champagne calmly. “No, Vance. You set it up when you decided I wasn’t worth a few new outfits to restart my career.
I just made the most of the mess you made.”
“It was a joke,” he said, voice shaky. “I was stressed. I didn’t mean for you to actually become a cleaner.”
“And I didn’t mean to find out my husband thinks so little of me,” I replied.
“Yet here we are, both shocked by how things turned out.”
Over the next few months, things shifted big time between us. Vance’s job at the firm got awkward as the story of his “career tip” to his wife spread like gossip at a family reunion. Meanwhile, my role grew as people saw my skills.
The balance in our marriage tipped hard. Vance tried to apologize over and over. He bought me clothes, jewelry, even a new car, but it didn’t fix a thing.
That moment he made me feel like I wasn’t worth basic respect broke something deep between us. Now, six months later, my closet’s full of clothes that fit the woman I’ve become. Vance, though, lost his job.
Or is it time to move on for good?
