Marriage requires a huge amount of commitment. You have to be there for your partner in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, and ideally, until the end of your life. But we all know that life is unpredictable. And sometimes, instead of staying in a situation where you’re miserable for the rest of your life, it takes even more strength to admit that things simply aren’t working.
Netizens have recently been opening up on Reddit about the final straws in their marriages that led to them getting a divorce. From simply growing apart to realizing that they would be happier alone, these stories might break your heart. But we hope that they will also serve as reminders that it’s never too late to choose yourself, as you deserve happiness, with or without a spouse.
#1
Got home from work in different scrubs that I left in. She accused me of cheating and wouldn’t accept any other explanation (not the first time she accused me). My patient threw up on me so I changed into OR scrubs. She didn’t like the story so she smashed my phone and computer. I grabbed some clothes, took the dog, and left. Been happily divorced from her for 10 years.
46points
#2
I cut my hand quite badly (accidentally of course), and called him and asked if he could possibly leave work 10 minutes early… or at the very least come straight home to take me to emergency. He was working the late shift. He said he couldn’t leave early and he had plans to go see live music at a nearby spot with a bunch of the guys. He asked if the cut was really that bad and couldn’t I just drive myself.
Blood had literally spurted up and stained the front of the upper cabinets, I had bled through a dish towel. I ended up calling my parents and my dad came and took me to ER. I had to get 15 stitches and partially cut my tendon (or ligament). So yes it was that bad… and it was also the moment I realized how bad my marriage was. I left him about 3 months later and I am now married to a wonderful man.
Blood had literally spurted up and stained the front of the upper cabinets, I had bled through a dish towel. I ended up calling my parents and my dad came and took me to ER. I had to get 15 stitches and partially cut my tendon (or ligament). So yes it was that bad… and it was also the moment I realized how bad my marriage was. I left him about 3 months later and I am now married to a wonderful man.
45points
#3
The ball got rolling when I went to an appointment and the receptionist said that I looked a lot sadder when I left than I did when I came in. I knew it was because I was dreading going home to him.
Then, shortly after that, I miscarried and he told me to stop crying and act like a normal person. He refused to take me to the hospital, so I took myself, went to my mother's house after I got out, and hired the attorney.
Then, shortly after that, I miscarried and he told me to stop crying and act like a normal person. He refused to take me to the hospital, so I took myself, went to my mother's house after I got out, and hired the attorney.
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42points
#4
This was 30 years ago. I woke my husband up and said I needed to go to the hospital. I had felt sick all day and my side hurt. He told me he wasn't going to take me to the hospital to run up a bill. I got myself and my 6 mo old daughter and drove to her babysitters. I about collapsed on her front step.
Well, by now you've figured out I had a hot appendix. He didnt come to the hospital until AFTER I had it taken out. Yeah, I was gone 2 weeks later.
Well, by now you've figured out I had a hot appendix. He didnt come to the hospital until AFTER I had it taken out. Yeah, I was gone 2 weeks later.
42points
#5
When I realized i was happier alone in a grocery store than with her in the house.
41points
#6
When he drank so much and so often that he was often blackout drunk - would say and do things to me - then argue and insult me when I confronted him the next day. I begged him to stop drinking. Ignored. He would come home blackout drunk and fall asleep in his uniform. I would have to make excuses to the kids about why daddy is sleeping on the floor in the hallway. - in his uniform with his hat still on drooling. Then he would yell at me for not taking him to bed. One day I realized he wasn’t working on his car in the garage in the evenings. He had many hidden bottles and refilled wine boxes filled with scotch. I was done.
I left him 45 years ago but that trauma is still like yesterday.
Everyday I am grateful for my loving husband of 33 years. A loving, sober, funny man that married me with 4 kids and raised my kids as his own. He stayed when I got disabled from a neuromuscular disease.
It is NOT worth staying. You deserve love and respect.
I left him 45 years ago but that trauma is still like yesterday.
Everyday I am grateful for my loving husband of 33 years. A loving, sober, funny man that married me with 4 kids and raised my kids as his own. He stayed when I got disabled from a neuromuscular disease.
It is NOT worth staying. You deserve love and respect.
39points
#7
When my gastroenterologist told me ' I am not supposed to give marital advice, but I highly recommend you leave your husband before the stress takes you out.' This was after months of mysterious abdominal pain (which almost resulted in an unnecessary appendectomy) as well a colonoscopy to try and determine the cause. After the colonoscopy came back clean, he sat me down and asked what else was going on and I broke down about the emotional and psychological torment that I had been experiencing for years. I took his advice and the pain mysteriously stopped.
35points
#8
He told me he wasn’t going to work on his anger issues, that they are a part of who he is and I had to accept it.
I did not.
I did not.
34points
#9
We had been saving to move into town. Came home all proud with a new truck. All the bells and whistles. Like 80 grand.. this was back in late 2000's. I knew then he told me what i wanted to hear and did what he wanted. It took me another 2 years to leave . One day he went to work and I packed a u haul. I love my new life.
33points
#10
My ex saw my promotion as an excuse to stop working. He didn't do anything at home either like cooking, cleaning, or mowing the lawn. I begged him to go back to work or just do SOMETHING productive with his time and he looked directly at me and said "or else what?".
30points
#11
She got a flat in the middle of a rainy night on a small shoulder, was prone to UTI’s so I had her take my car since she was complaining about having to pee while on the phone with her earlier. Pitch black, raining, on a small shoulder in the middle of rush hour.
After replacing the tire, I throw my back out - the kind that makes you so immobile, the spasms knock you to the ground. Get home, my back just gets worse and immediately climbed into bed asking her to grab a heating pad.
Not only did she say “No,” but she complained about doing it and couldn’t be bothered.
After replacing the tire, I throw my back out - the kind that makes you so immobile, the spasms knock you to the ground. Get home, my back just gets worse and immediately climbed into bed asking her to grab a heating pad.
Not only did she say “No,” but she complained about doing it and couldn’t be bothered.
29points
#12
When he told me he couldn’t yell at me anymore since someone we knew was moving in upstairs.. it was clear no matter what efforts I put forth he isn’t changing. So I did :).
28points
#13
An unplanned pregnancy due to a birth control failure.
There were a lot of talks about what should happen because we were both pro-choice, but didn’t want kids, but also felt like having an abortion was something we didn’t want to do. We both had good, stable jobs, owned our home and it just felt like we could give a child a good life, but we just never wanted kids.
Then around week 9, I had a miscarriage, but my body didn’t expel the pregnancy (ie: incomplete abortion) and I had to have a D&C. My ex set his own schedule and worked from home, yet the day of the D&C he suddenly had to go to the office and have an in-person meeting.
He took me to my procedure, took me home after discharge and said he had to leave. When I objected he said, “You’re a nurse, you’ll know if you need help” and he left.
In my most vulnerable time, my spouse deserted me. It was definitely the last straw, but it still took me a bit to actually leave him.
There were a lot of talks about what should happen because we were both pro-choice, but didn’t want kids, but also felt like having an abortion was something we didn’t want to do. We both had good, stable jobs, owned our home and it just felt like we could give a child a good life, but we just never wanted kids.
Then around week 9, I had a miscarriage, but my body didn’t expel the pregnancy (ie: incomplete abortion) and I had to have a D&C. My ex set his own schedule and worked from home, yet the day of the D&C he suddenly had to go to the office and have an in-person meeting.
He took me to my procedure, took me home after discharge and said he had to leave. When I objected he said, “You’re a nurse, you’ll know if you need help” and he left.
In my most vulnerable time, my spouse deserted me. It was definitely the last straw, but it still took me a bit to actually leave him.
28points
#14
We were already on the verge of divorce for a number of reasons, largely boiling down to his untreated depression which turns into anger issues which turns into fighting with absolutely everyone over absolutely everything. We had been separated but he kept begging for one more chance.
I came home from a 12 hour workday and found the youngest kiddo sobbing hysterically on the floor with the oldest trying to comfort him while also glaring at my ex. I asked what was going on. Oldest and middle were going to walk to the pool. At the time, oldest was old enough to be at the pool alone but not old enough to supervise youngest by the pools rules. Youngest had to have an adult.
Ex was sitting in his recliner, doom scrolling as usual, and had apparently been home for hours. He'd been asked to go to the pool by youngest, but he bluntly refused. He wasn't about to get up and go doom scroll his phone from the pool so the youngest could go swim with his brothers. So youngest was just sobbing because he wanted to go swim with his siblings and ex was just sitting in a recliner, scrolling his phone and watching him cry, with absolutely no emotion or empathy. He did not care. He was not about to get up to do something with his little boy.
This was a man who had literally just been living in a different state from the kids for 5 months prior to this - not seeing them at all - and who claimed he desperately missed us and wanted to be back together as a family. Who begged and pleaded constantly for one more chance.
I picked kid up, took them to the pool and called my friend who had offered me a dirt cheap rental house on the other side of our new state a week earlier and told her I'd take it. I moved out with all three kids and filed the divorce.
I came home from a 12 hour workday and found the youngest kiddo sobbing hysterically on the floor with the oldest trying to comfort him while also glaring at my ex. I asked what was going on. Oldest and middle were going to walk to the pool. At the time, oldest was old enough to be at the pool alone but not old enough to supervise youngest by the pools rules. Youngest had to have an adult.
Ex was sitting in his recliner, doom scrolling as usual, and had apparently been home for hours. He'd been asked to go to the pool by youngest, but he bluntly refused. He wasn't about to get up and go doom scroll his phone from the pool so the youngest could go swim with his brothers. So youngest was just sobbing because he wanted to go swim with his siblings and ex was just sitting in a recliner, scrolling his phone and watching him cry, with absolutely no emotion or empathy. He did not care. He was not about to get up to do something with his little boy.
This was a man who had literally just been living in a different state from the kids for 5 months prior to this - not seeing them at all - and who claimed he desperately missed us and wanted to be back together as a family. Who begged and pleaded constantly for one more chance.
I picked kid up, took them to the pool and called my friend who had offered me a dirt cheap rental house on the other side of our new state a week earlier and told her I'd take it. I moved out with all three kids and filed the divorce.
28points
#15
When he had 12 hours to vacuum and sweep the downstairs and empty the dishwasher before I got home and didn't. After years of begging for love and consideration. I knew when I got home and 3 simple chores hadn't been done that he didn't care about me or our life like he claimed to and I was done sacrificing myself and my needs.
27points
#16
When he used our credit card to buy himself a $500 lap dance.
25points
#17
He made it increasingly clear that he held me in contempt. He would make up opinions for me and then contemptuously rip them apart, even though they were never actually my own opinions. They were just opinions that he felt I had.
One night we went to a concert. We were having a little trouble finding our seats and finally, he stared at me with disgust and stomped off. I eventually found the seats and there he was, in another big mood. After the concert, we were walking down a dark alley back to the car and he stomped off 15 or 20 feet in front of me. For some reason, I always look back on that as the night our marriage ended, watching him stride ahead of me down that dark street, although it took several more months for it to actually finish.
The very last day was the morning I came down, he was still asleep, and he had very prominently left out a handwritten list of our assets. I had taken my stuff, and was gone by that afternoon.
One night we went to a concert. We were having a little trouble finding our seats and finally, he stared at me with disgust and stomped off. I eventually found the seats and there he was, in another big mood. After the concert, we were walking down a dark alley back to the car and he stomped off 15 or 20 feet in front of me. For some reason, I always look back on that as the night our marriage ended, watching him stride ahead of me down that dark street, although it took several more months for it to actually finish.
The very last day was the morning I came down, he was still asleep, and he had very prominently left out a handwritten list of our assets. I had taken my stuff, and was gone by that afternoon.
24points
#18
My first husband believed that once the ring was on the finger, he didn't need to make any effort. At all. Bad with money, ran up credit cards, didn't pay bills, was so lazy that the neighbors would come out to help me do chores because they knew he was useless. Gained a lot of weight, had really bad hygiene and fancied himself a "rugged mountain man" who could survive in the wilderness (major LOL). At some point, I realized I might as well be alone, since I did everything and paid for everything and he contributed Nothing.
24points
#19
"Nice Guy" who was a nonconfrontational people pleaser. He constantly put the family into financial straits by changing jobs, giving people "loans" they never paid back, buying broken cars etc. I finally had enough after one of his "big ideas" backfired big time. I couldn't parent a 40 year old man.
24points
#20
When I realized I was doing all the house work, cooking all the meals, making all of the decisions, paying all the bills, and taking all the blame for anything that went wrong.
When I say all, I mean ALL.
When I say all, I mean ALL.
23points