I\u2019m a 33-year-old new mom in a neck brace because my husband, Jake, was scrolling Instagram at a red light and rear-ended another car. I\u2019m on maternity leave with our six-month-old daughter, Emma, barely able to lift my head, let alone my baby.<\/p>\n
At first, Jake helped a little. Then his birthday came up.<\/p>\n
A week before, he announced his friends were coming over for game night. I told him I physically couldn\u2019t host. I can\u2019t bend, twist, or lift. I\u2019m in constant pain.<\/p>\n
He rolled his eyes and said, \u201cYou\u2019re home anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
When I pushed back, he snapped, \u201cIf you don\u2019t handle it, don\u2019t expect me to keep giving you money.\u201d<\/p>\n
We had agreed my maternity leave was\u00a0our<\/em>\u00a0plan. Now suddenly it was \u201chis\u201d money.<\/p>\n Terrified he\u2019d cut me off while I couldn\u2019t work, I used my emergency fund to hire a cleaner and order all the food for his party.<\/p>\n Friday night, he laughed with his friends while I sat on the couch in my brace, listening to him joke that I was \u201cjust hanging with the baby all day.\u201d<\/p>\n Then the doorbell rang.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t pizza. It was his mother.<\/p>\n She took one look at the scene, turned to him, and said, \u201cYou\u2019re leaving. Now.\u201d<\/p>\n She told his friends to go. She told Jake to get his coat. And she told him he would not be sleeping in the house he threatened to control me in.<\/p>\n Jake is staying with her now.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know if our marriage will survive. But for the first time since the crash, I don\u2019t feel trapped.<\/p>\n I feel safe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"