I’m Mitsuki, living with my husband and our two kids: our daughter Yuna (an 8th grader) and our son Itsuki (a 5th grader). Shigeru and I have been married for 16 years. We had a peaceful routine with him focusing on work while I took care of the house and the kids. But one day, out of nowhere, he told me that he only wanted us to stay together “strictly for the kids.” The reason? I had gained 60 pounds after giving birth. I was disappointed that my appearance mattered so much to him, but then I realized… maybe it wasn’t just my weight, but that I had been taking his feelings for granted all along. So, I took my weight loss seriously. In the end, my hard work paid off and I lost it! I thought our marriage would naturally get back on track… but his feelings hadn’t changed at all. Either get a divorce, or keep playing the role of “happily married” like before. Faced with these two choices, I…
Our marital issues started out being about “losing weight or not.”
But as things unraveled, I realized it actually ran much deeper than my diet. I wish I had listened to my husband more carefully and respected his feelings. I wish I had thought about how to reassure him when he was genuinely worried seeing me gain all that weight.
Now, it’s too late for regret.
We still have seven years left of this marriage, but both my husband and I are finally facing each other with a sense of clarity. Since I’ve been completely dependent on him financially until now, I’m going to start taking steps toward my own independence.
END…