He laughed it off, calling me dramatic and lazy. He told me his mom had worked until the day he was born, so I should toughen up. And just like that, the man I thought I could lean on became a lesson in patience.

I didn’t argue or cry. I smiled, nodded, and told him he was right. Then, I started my plan. Over the next week, I became a machine. I woke up at dawn, cleaned every corner of the house, packed his lunch, cooked gourmet dinners, and maintained my full-time HR job without missing a beat. Of course, he noticed. He even praised me. “Told you it’s all in your head,” he smirked one night. I just smiled and kept my focus on the goal.

What he didn’t know was that I had enlisted some backup. My OB had referred