Then I assigned an hourly rate based on market value for household labor. When I finished, the total came to:💰 $20,254. 💰
I formatted it into a professional invoice, complete with a payment due date and a late fee clause.
Then, I printed it, walked over to Thomas’s desk, and placed it right on top.
And I packed my bags.
The next morning, Thomas found the invoice. His reaction? Predictable.
“What the hell is this?!”
I took a slow sip of coffee. “An itemized bill for services rendered,” I said calmly. “I thought you’d appreciate the breakdown.”
His face turned red. “This is ridiculous! Twenty thousand dollars?! For what? Cooking? Cleaning? That’s just what wives do!”
“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow. “And charging me for Wi-Fi in my own home is normal?”
“That’s… different!” He sputtered.
“No, Thomas. What’s different is that I’m done.”
I grabbed my packed bag and headed for the door.
“Wait, you’re leaving? Over a few Venmo requests?”
I shook my head. “Not over the money. Over the fact that you stopped seeing us as partners and started seeing me as a transaction.”
I stepped outside. In my rearview mirror, I saw Thomas standing there, holding that invoice like it was the first time he’d ever really seen the cost of his choices.
I drove away, knowing one thing for sure: I’d never let myself be nickel-and-dimed in my own marriage again.
