For some people, marriage is a very big chunk of their lives that everyone wants to have with the person they want to spend their lifetimes with.
Every marriage has its stages. It’s not always happy and romantic days. Having bad days and misunderstandings are part of it, too.
But what’s important is fixing it and choosing each other. However, if the fire’s left for too long, it will spread and burn things into ashes, just like every argument.
1. Just For Money
Not me, but my dad. He got remarried after being divorced for about five years. I would have been all for it, but he met this woman in another state on a business trip and would visit her every weekend after they hit it off.
They knew each other for 6 months before getting engaged. The engagement was only for 3 months. My brother and I tried telling him about all the red flags telling him to take his time.
My dad is financially well-off, and we kept trying to earn him. Things were moving so quickly that she was only in it for the money.
She moved her whole family from their hometown to the city my dad lived in, including their elderly grandmother, who needed constant medical supervision.
Before they were even married, the pantry was full of luxury brand food instead of the local grocery store, as was tradition. All new furniture was provided, and the house was repainted at his bride-to-be's request.
The marriage lasted all of 2 weeks. Apparently, my dad's new bride had the gall to ask my dad to leave everything to her in the will and write me and my brother out. Only then did he realize she was in it for the money? The next day, he had the marriage annulled.
Someday, I would like to know what it's like to fall so completely for someone that I don't recognize they are taking advantage of me. It must feel good for that instant before it all comes crashing down.
[deleted]
2. Sudden Change
I was blindsided by it. We lived together for a year, about an hour from my hometown. Upon her request and desire, we relocated to my hometown before our marriage so that when we had kids, it was best to be close to family.
We had a house we loved, a dog we loved, jobs we both loved working in...or so I thought. Married in October. She goes to visit her sister over the next Labor Day weekend.
I can’t attend due to work. Comes back the Tuesday after Labor Day and tells me she’s living a lie and someone else’s dream, and she needs a divorce. I had no idea.
Divorce finalized in January. She married some dude that her sister was friends with, and she met on that trip I was unable to attend this September. Life is wild, sometimes.
War_Hammer55
3. Full Of Blame
We dated for 5 years, but on the honeymoon, we had a big argument over my liberal use of sunscreen. She refused to wear any because of ‘chemicals,’ and I liberally use it due to my ginger skin.
We seriously argued over this for a good hour, and she refused to even go into the pool with me because of sunscreen chemicals.
After a scuba adventure with her, she could hardly walk because she got so burnt on her legs, whereas my skin didn’t change.
She then tried to convince me that it was all my fault because I didn’t force her to wear sunscreen and that the honeymoon was ruined.
It was then I realized I picked the wrong person. After a few more psycho arguments (mad at me because of something in her dreams, mad because I didn’t remind her to bring an umbrella....)
I had to call it quits. I can’t stay with someone who constantly blames me for their own problems. Luckily, I had no kids, and I got back everything I brought into the marriage.
fukenhimer
4. Freeing Self
Not me, but my friend's sister. Her sister got engaged 8 months into a relationship. and got married 4 months later. Everything went well for the first 5 months, but the husband started acting differently.
He wasn’t chatty, his good morning/goodnight kisses became dull, etc. Her sister would ask if everything was okay, and he would say, “I’m fine” every time.
Her sister didn’t want to push him, so she waited for him to talk about what’s bothering him. One evening after dinner, the husband said he wanted to discuss their relationship.
Before he could talk about it, he started crying. He cried for a few minutes and then told her he was gay. The sister filed for divorce, and after the divorce was settled, she wasn’t really mad at him anymore, so she went to see him and forgave him.
They became good friends, and the sister helped him become comfortable with his sexuality. She even helped him come out to his close friends and then to his family.
5 years later, the sister is now engaged to another man and expecting their first child. The ex-husband has been happily married to a man for almost a year now.
kindatoastytoes
5. Fake Comfort Zone
I had been fooling around with this girl for a while. I never wanted anything serious, and I KNEW that from the start. Then my mom passed.
I was devastated and broken, and this girl was there for me. Her mom had died of cancer about a year earlier, and I guess we really bonded over that.
It pushed us much further emotionally than we ever should’ve gone. We ended up doing a courthouse marriage. I knew within the month that I had messed up.
But I didn’t want to just give up and get divorced. Once the emotions of my mom's death passed, I realized how toxic she really was.
She was incredibly unstable and ended up taking me into an even deeper darkness. We divorced about a year ago (after being married for about 10 months), and I was immediately much happier.
Marriage shouldn’t be taken lightly, but people also shouldn’t force themselves to be in unhealthy relationships. We all make mistakes. Don’t waste your life with someone that doesn’t deserve you.
Monkey_Pube
6. Bitter Relationship
My sister got a civil marriage. Then they moved super far away to the middle of nowhere cause he got a good job. My sister never finished college, and he would remind her about it on a daily basis.
She would get super frustrated, and he wouldn’t believe her. She got sick once, and he told her since she didn’t go to the DMV that day, she wasn’t allowed to go to a theme park we were planning on going to that weekend.
He would demean her whenever she couldn’t get a job or even an interview, and she applied to practically everywhere within a 50-mile radius.
He called her stupid in front of me, and when I called him out, he told me to mind my own business. If he wasn’t twice my size, I would have decked him. She left him after about a year cause he’s obviously a complete jerkward.
When she left, he told her she had nowhere to go, and if she went to stay with our mom, she would just be a burden like me. I was about 19 and in college at the time. He’s a rude jerkward, but at least she got the car and the dog.
mildyroastedbean
7. Heavy Hands
The day after we got married when, he slapped me across the face (hard and completely out of the blue). No argument, no conversation leading up to it, nothing.
He said it wasn't that hard of a hit; he was just kidding around, and I was being overdramatic. He had never gotten violent with me while dating.
But as soon as we got married, it was like a switch flipped, and he was a COMPLETELY different person. It got worse very quickly, and I ended up filing for divorce 73 days after we got married.
SHEnanigans0312
8. More Than Friends
Not a year, but about 18 months. She was constantly complaining she didn’t have friends after moving in with me. She joined a local soccer team and talked about one teammate nonstop for months.
I had a bad feeling about it from the get-go, but she assured me they were “just friends” and “how dare I not trust her.” Uhm, okay.
Thought I was going crazy because my gut told me something wasn’t right, but I was punishing myself for being a bad husband and not trusting my wife.
Turned out it was all true. She had been sleeping with the teammate for months. Most likely banged someone else during our engagement. Split amicably officially as of last week without any mess, thank god.
rythebowtieguy
9. Fast Promotion
A cousin of mine married someone who seemed like the perfect woman. They worked in the same store together, and he would brag about how his wife was getting promoted quickly in the company.
A few months into the marriage, she tells him she's going out with friends for the evening. An hour or so later, my cousin got a call from one of his friends.
The friend saw her having dinner in a restaurant... With the manager of the store that they both worked at. Once he confronted her about it, that was basically the end of the marriage.
DeathSpiral321
10. Parent’s House
His wife spent years trying to alienate him from his friends. After they got married, they bought a house near his job. It was their decision.
She decided she didn't like the commute to her job (even though it was practically the same) and started "staying with her parents."
A friend finds out from her parents she hasn't been staying there. Turns out she was going out and partying with coworkers, then staying with an ex.
porscheblack
11. Different Personality
Best girlfriend I had to date at the time. I was in my late 30s and had never been married. Dated for about a year. Got married. Shortly after, she asked for her name on all my assets.
I thought it was not a problem as we were married, but on a Wednesday, she insisted it be done by that Friday. I didn't have time to do that because of work and a deadline. I could start it the next week, I said.
She pitched a fit and said I would do it by Friday if I loved her. I found this strange and decided not to start it and see what happened. She moved out of our bedroom into a guest room. She got cold around the house and told me she would move back into our bedroom when I finished getting everything done.
At this point, I thought, "Clownery," and told her so. I went to my family lawyer to seek advice. She advised me not to put anything in her name at this point. I was given the name of a marriage counselor.
She didn't want to go to counseling and continued living in the guest room. I took my lawyer's advice and did nothing about the assets. The long and short of it was after 1 year of marriage when, on our anniversary, she told me I didn't have her in my heart. I thought to myself, "This is a joke."
About a week after that, I told her that if this was the way it would be, I would not be married like this. She said, "OK, so what will you give me?" Yes ... she said that.
I consulted my lawyer on what a judge would come up with regarding community property for the past year. The number came up to 20g. I took that number, added about 20 grand, and proposed that to her to make it easy. If it got ugly, I would spend more than that on lawyer's fees.
It got ugly. A week later, I got served with papers, with all said in the complaint. When added up, she was going after $750k for 1 year of marriage. 1 year of divorce proceedings and 2 years of property settlement proceedings on what should have been a 2-hour problem.
Judgment came, and with 215 points in the judgment, I owed her what would have been the community property (about 20 grand), but she awarded me attorney's fees. So, in net, she owed me about 30 grand, leaving her to buy her own car.
It turns out this judge had worked hard through school to become a lawyer and become a judge by age 40. I was told by another attorney that normally, this judge never gives attorney's fees. Still, she was so angry at the gold dig my wife attempted that she felt it was justified in this case.
Even though I came out OK financially, it was an emotional train wreck to have this happen and go through all that. It's been 15 years since it happened. I was not date-able for about 2 years, but now very happy with where I am and who I'm with.
GotSeoul
12. Lazy Wife
Not me, but my dad. He got back from his honeymoon and went back to work. He came home, and something felt off when he walked in the door.
She wasn't there when he got home from work, which was very odd for her since she got off work earlier than him and was always home when he got back.
When she got back, he mentioned that it was out of the ordinary that she had been out and asked if she had gone somewhere. He wasn't accusatory, just curious because it never happened, but she dodged his questions at first.
Eventually, after he got suspicious of her dodging a simple question, she admitted that she'd quit her job, and when he asked why, she said she didn't need to work.
So, she was planning on using him as her cash cow. He doesn't remember how the conversation went exactly since it was 30 years ago. He tried counseling and asked her to get her job back, but she always brushed him off and never took him seriously.
He threw in the towel 7 months later, and she started trying to fix things, but it had been 7 months of him trying to fix things, and she had no interest.
So he filed for divorce and went on to achieve his lifelong dream: he dated and then married his middle school crush, my mom. 28 years strong.
coconut-greek-yogurt
13. No Contentment
I knew it was a mistake about two months into our engagement. I actually broke up with her for a week but didn’t tell anyone other than my parents.
Something just didn’t feel right. She ended up begging me every single day, and I just felt really bad and got back with her. We pretended like it never happened.
Got married 9 months later, and she ended up cheating on me a little over a year into our marriage. I still don’t understand her logic behind all that, but whatever.
It’s done, and I’ve moved on, but I’ll never understand why she wanted me back so badly and did that not even two years later.
[deleted]
14. Long Distance
I got married shortly after tech school. About 4 months later, we made plans for her to move from NC to TX to join me, as I'm in the military and CAN’T move.
3 times I brought it up, 3 times she said she just needed more time to move. Finally, for the 4th time, she said she couldn't leave her friends and family to move across the country to start our lives together.
A year later, we were divorced. Or, well, I divorced her. She obviously didn't come down to Texas for that and signed a waiver of citation to not get any news about it.
So I basically got to divorce myself...which, after hearing how vindictive ex-spouses can be, I chalk that up to a blessing.
GrumpyKitten514
15. Heartless Entity
I caught my new bride having a workplace affair while I was receiving cancer treatments. It was not a pleasant time for me.
This happened about 25 years ago (yes, I am an old guy). It really sucked at the time ... the day I found out I was a few months into both major surgery and then daily radiation treatment, I was down to about 118 from my normal 155lbs.
But, as it turned out, it was really a good thing. We did not have a house or kids, and the divorce was rather simple. I went on to get married again and have 3 incredible kids I would never have had otherwise.
The entire experience taught me a lot about the power of forgiveness (admittedly, it took me too long to learn this lesson), and I have a pretty great life today.
Nika65
16. Huge Traitor
Less than a year into actively trying to get pregnant, he got discouraged, gave up, and started staying out until 4:15 am with his "coworker."
He posted selfies on her couch on Snapchat and even went as far as asking her to marry him once he could get rid of me. He had 2 biological children (my stepchildren) that he abandoned at home with me while he was out doing this.
The icing on the cake was that on my favorite holiday, while holding my brand new baby nephew in front of his entire family, he told me he wanted a divorce.
I was gone after 2 weeks, left everything to him, and vanished. New number, new address, everything. Best choice I ever made.
LilOtter
17. Doomed From The Start
Not me, but my sister - she didn’t see anything wrong with him moving to another state and her staying at my parent's house and only seeing her husband when she flew to visit (he was in the army).
Didn’t see a problem when girls would post Instagram and Facebook photos of their husband drunk off his ass at a party when he told her he was at work.
He didn’t see a problem when he made huge purchases (a sports car, a four-wheeler) that they couldn’t afford without telling her.
Didn’t see a problem when he told her she should get implants while making out. Nope, never saw a problem. She didn’t realize it was a mistake until he sent her divorce papers. They were married for less than a year.
I, for one, wasn’t surprised. I tried to tell her a marriage that started with a proposal when both parties were in relationships with DIFFERENT PEOPLE was doomed to fail, but she didn’t listen. Also, yes, this is real. I’m not making it up. I wish I were.
the-willow-witch
18. No Plans
When we were looking to buy our first house, he basically wanted to buy the first place that had 4 walls and a roof, while I wanted us to take our time and find the right place.
When I put the kibosh on a house that was overpriced and flooded 4 times in the past, he pouted and gave me the silent treatment for a week.
Finding out he was chatting with other girls and confessing his feelings for a coworker behind my back was just the icing on the cake.
Mycatismybestfriend
19. Not My Fault
He begged me to have kids, I wasn’t ready, but I thought he loved me. We had money insurance; he was my high school sweetheart. We had 7 years together, and we were first year married. Why not?
Two miscarriages later, I caught him sending explicit messages to his best friend's girlfriend. As I read through the messages, I noticed the first one started with how horrific my miscarriages were.
He thought I was infertile and was looking for a way out. Turns out there were issues on his end, not mine. I talked to him a decade later.
He thinks god punished him for what he did to me, and that’s why he never had children. I have a daughter now. Karma is a witch.
phoenixrising8580
20. Inside A Cage
I realized it was a mistake when I started to see that I was "supposed to ask" before I went and did anything. Like, everything. It was too much for me.
I had to make sure the wife was okay with anything that did not involve being at home or going to work. I lost a lot of friends in the year we were married.
I started to do things for myself, and it just became hell. I am, thankfully, in a much better place now. I am still unlearning a lot of crap that my ex bored into my head, but things are progressing. Slowly but surely.
[deleted]
21. No Information
Probably 4 months into it. We had some discussions about him being home late without letting me know, so I worried, I'm not the jealous type.
One day, he just didn't come home all night, and I was worried sick. I couldn't sleep all night thinking something bad had happened to him, but I also started gathering all my stuff.
There was no excuse in the world that I could accept if he was ok. He called me around 5 am and said he went to a friend's place (male friend) and forgot to call me.
So I took all my things and left for a friend's (female) house. That was the beginning of the end. It has happened so many times already, and I’ve had enough.
plumapluma
22. Crazy Dude
A friend of mine. They had been together 8 years or so. 4ish months into being married, he had kind of a psychotic break and decided he was going to quit his government job and make a living off his mediocre paintings.
They had to move from a city she loved to a small town she hated, and she should have a baby right now, even though they agreed no kids until after she finished her education.
She stuck through a solid 6 months of trying medications, therapy, the whole thing. Still, he decided she was everything wrong in his life.
It was her fault that he wasn't successful with his art, so he moved out, jumped on her car, caved in the roof of it, and told her never to call him again, or he would have her charged with harassment.
Last I spoke with her, she loved being single, had moved to a bigger city she loved even more, got 2 more cats (for a total of 3), and was halfway through law school.
whatsyourfavsong
23. Puzzling Situation
Last night, my wife was telling me about an acquaintance who got divorced within a year or so of getting married. Her husband (the acquaintance's husband, not my wife's ... that would be me) refused to be in any wedding photos.
The acquaintance ended up having the photo session on her own. The story boggled my mind. I could not understand the logic of it.
I could understand not wanting to get married, or not wanting to get married in a church, or having a small, intimate gathering.
But agreeing to the ceremony but then refusing to be in the photos was weird. Anyway, they got divorced. Apparently, he still claims that she is the love of his life.
tastyfriedcats
24. Different Reason
Before we even got married. I never wanted kids and never wanted to get married, which he knew. Lo and behold, I got pregnant.
He wanted to keep the baby, and I had no health insurance, so we got married. I mean, that’s what we thought we must do. I love my daughter to death.
But getting married was the worst mistake of my life. And I knew before we got married that we were doing it for the wrong reasons.
[deleted]
25. Man Of Awfulness
Two months in, I was pregnant with a child we had been trying for almost two years, and he was mad... Then, a month later, he quit his job and refused to work...
It just got worse from there. At 24 weeks pregnant, I almost lost my baby. He wanted a DNR because "He will not raise a disabled child.”
He did not even hold his son when he was born and left after ten minutes... I knew I was done... We got married after 4 years...
isingtomyducky
26. Taken For Granted
I don't remember when I knew it was a mistake. I fell out of hope we could make it work; I kept finding excuses for his behavior and contradictions.
We were together 5 years before getting married. I loved him more than I've loved anyone since, but somehow, everything changed the minute we got married.
After months of feeling lonely, of him not coming back home before late in the evening, and of being suspicious he was cheating, I left.
He did admit that he took me for granted after I left, and he was trying to win me back, but I was simply unable to trust him again. He just thought that my happiness could wait.
We were married forever, after all... We tried to get back together, but it was over. Thankfully, I am very much in love today, but I fondly remember my time with that man.
Irrelevantzombiefood
27. Forced Wedding
We knew before the wedding took place. We got engaged because my family pushed it onto us. Everyone in my immediate family had gotten engaged and married within a year.
We felt pressured to do so as well. My mom even gave us a huge, expensive ring that I hated yet ended up wearing for a few months.
We’ve been engaged for about 6 months and never talked about wedding stuff or anything. Initially, we “broke up,” but really, we ended the engagement, and we’ve been dating happily since.
Priincap
28. Ideal Couple No More
Obligatory, not me, but my cousin-in-law. She got married after years together, and all was well and good. They had a perfect wedding, and they both looked so happy.
Their parents spent so much money even though they were not wealthy because they were an absolute dream couple. Well, at first.
The next day, she told her new husband she wanted a divorce. She had been cheating on him and was in love with someone else who she'd known for maybe a month.
Everyone was devastated for him. She had no remorse. Poor guy didn't see it coming at all.. nor did anyone else. She broke up with the new guy a few weeks after she divorced her husband, too.
beakindperson
29. Saw It Coming
I knew before the wedding when I found out he was going to propose, and I wasn’t ready after 2 years together. I freaked out and said yes when he proposed. But I was so stupid.
Long story short, I found out that he had reached out to an ex to hook up a few weeks before the wedding. I let it go like an idiot.
I knew I had to leave within three months of marrying that dingbat. I knew it wasn’t right, but I moved forward because everything was planned and paid for. Single AF and loving life now.
madanglesfit
30. Different Intentions
My uncle got "green card married" to a Mexican woman he met online, convinced that by the end of the 2 years before she could become a citizen, she would fall in love with him and want to stay with him.
She made it very clear that wouldn't happen. She just wanted to bring her kids over and needed a good samaritan to help. He was well aware of that.
Well, once she started dating people after their marriage, he realized he was wrong, and they divorced. She and her kids got sent back to Mexico.
Honestly, my uncle is 100% at fault. He's a misogynistic neckbeard who tricked a woman who was very clear with her intentions into thinking he was a supportive friend and ally when, in reality, he wanted to make her dependent on him and force a relationship on her.
purplepluppy
31. I Saw Future Self
3 weeks before the wedding. I say I am lucky, but honestly, I was too young and stupid to let it go that far. Once you decide you are in love, it is amazing what you can rationalize.
I knew deep down it was a mistake. Still, I wanted to be the best husband, so I decided to just let the yelling and insults slide because of “love.”
Well, not until I saw her mom treating her dad the same way. It was like seeing an older, defeated, and crushed version of myself.
Can see him sadly smiling and saying how much we love each other, just like he did… Srew that. We had no problems, but it was toxic, so I got out.
Pr0genator
32. The Old Her
Five months after we tied the knot, I found out that she'd been having an affair with a coworker. Our five-year relationship was turned upside down because some dude with pretty tattoos wanted a quick and easy side piece.
I powered through it, even packing up and moving across the country with her for a clean start. She never worked on rebuilding trust.
She kept talking to another guy on Snapchat, promising they were "just friends" and didn't care about me. We're separated but not yet divorced.
Our two-year anniversary is coming up in a couple of weeks, and I so miss that girl I proposed to. She's long gone, though. But damn, I'd give anything to have my fiancee back.
[deleted]
33. Huge Realizations
Dated for 9, then married for 1. It hit when we started living together right before the wedding. I like getting out but value home for the seclusion/escape.
She grew up in a big and close family. She wanted energy wherever she was. It created tension out of the gate. Then her cousin and her best friend had to stay in our extra room.
Home never felt like ours, and we didn’t confront it. Just let it fester quickly. One day, we were having dinner, and she just blurted out, “I don’t think this works for us.”
I knew exactly what she meant. I wasn’t mad and agreed. That’s how I knew it was correct. Her getting involved with another equally energetic guy she met on a recent vacation with her gals didn’t help.
It was just the driver. But honestly, in hindsight, the disconnect was already embedded before that. I was just as susceptible to another gal but didn’t want the drama.
The right action to avoid it is the wrong reason. Which means we were likely doomed regardless. We got married because it felt like the next natural step. Live and learn. Communicate!
RipErRiley
34. Selfish Honeymoon
There was a definitive moment when I realized this was not the man for me. About three weeks into our honeymoon, we had been traveling through the British Isles and finally made it to Italy.
I really wanted to stay in a remote village and be immersed, but he did not. We settled on Florence. Don’t get me wrong, it’s lovely there, and we saw a lot, but it’s extremely touristy.
I didn’t feel like I was getting the full cultural experience in a big city like that. I asked our host of the BnB what their favorite restaurant was, something only locals know about.
The sweet man drew me a little map and even told me it would look closed, was very small, and had very specific hours, which he wrote down for me.
The next day, after some searching, we find it in an alleyway off the beaten path, and it’s like a dream come true. Only Italians, no English translations on the menu, and no couple from Florida at the table next to us. It’s packed, and it smells so amazing.
They squeezed us in on a tiny table, got us menus, and said, what I imagine was, we’ll be back in a bit. I was awe-struck by finally feeling like I was in my home country (I’m of Italian descent, and all American Italians dream of visiting Italy).
This place was out of the movies, with small, dim lights and loud and classic Italian music in the background. The little old Italian lady making the pasta looked like my Nonni. I was just smiling and taking it all in.
For the first time since landing, I truly felt like I was in Italy. My husband looked at me and said, “This is too cramped. I can’t eat here.” I looked back at him, and he just got up and walked out.
I had to hold back tears, realizing he just walked out on me when I had found the happiest place on our honeymoon. The waitress came over confused, and I just apologized as I stammered out of the restaurant.
Both embarrassed and heartbroken, knowing this was not the kind of man I wanted to share experiences with. I knew at that moment I had made a huge mistake.
reddoesntcare
35. Got Ghosted
When she stopped replying to my texts and told me she “needed a break” two weeks before Christmas. We were both enlisted in the military.
Yep, I’m one of those guys, but in my defense, we dated for almost two years, and I had just changed duty stations. I specifically picked a horrible station so we’d have a better chance of being stationed closer together when the time came for her to pick orders.
I was stuck in a frozen hellhole for three years because of that stupid mistake. After she ghosted me, I drove 14 hours nonstop in a snowstorm to find out what was going on.
I found her at work, but there was no ring. She cheated on me multiple times since I’d been gone with people I knew. We were married four months.
[deleted]
36. Useless Partner
She was a stay-at-home wife (not even a mom) who just flat-out refused to work. She would not cook or clean but rather tell me what needed to be done when I got home from work.
It was all after she had spent the entire day playing on the computer. I was struggling to take care of things, working 2 jobs.
I asked her one night what we would do if I couldn't take care of things with my 2 jobs? She responded, “Well, you'll just have to get a 3rd job then!” Yeah. A short while later, I noped the fudge out of there.
flashblazer
37. No Personal Respect
A close friend of mine who divorced within a year told me he knew on his wedding night he was making a huge mistake.
In the months leading up to his wedding, his soon-to-be wife was spending more time with her mother than she had in the previous several years. On the day they wed, right after their nuptials, they went to take photos while the guests enjoyed cocktail hour.
As they were getting ready, his new bride asked him to walk to an area with her for a minute of privacy. When they got to this gazebo (or something, I don't recall exactly), her mother was waiting for them.
As it turns out, the mother and bride went into a long diatribe about saving his soul, how together they'd recently been reborn and found Jesus, and wanted him to start attending services with them.
Now, this buddy of mine is an atheist; always has been. He was not raised in any kind of religion, but he doesn't announce his beliefs either. He has no qualms with people following God, but like me, he doesn't want others to force their beliefs on him, either.
So he sat there on this gorgeous day, listened, and faked enjoyment the rest of the evening. The honeymoon was painful, and when they got home, he tried and tried to tell her he wasn't interested in following but was happy and supportive of her finding happiness the way she was. It wasn't good enough.
She and her mother began pushing him, and within six months, he dropped the bomb that there was no way their union would last.
He had a rough couple of years after he moved out of his own house that he allowed her to live in, but he's since met someone else, remarried, and had a baby. Dude is an all-timer, one of the nicest people you could ever meet.
skip_tracer
38. Mutual Decision
On our honeymoon, we went to Mauritius. On the first day, we realized that I wanted to explore everything the island had to offer, and she wanted to stay at the resort and chill by the pool on the beach.
We limped along for another year, but that was when I realized we weren’t that alike anymore. We were so young - 21. We’d been together since 16/17 and stayed faithful through university in different cities.
She left me for one of my friends in the end. Probably was at least emotionally involved with him for months. That was nearly twenty years ago.
She’s still with that guy, happy and living in the same town. I emigrated and am happy living in another country. We still exchange messages occasionally, especially a year ago when she and my girlfriend got pregnant at the same time!
I don’t hold any resentment over how we split up - life would have been so disappointing for both of us if we’d stayed together, I think - and I lacked the balls to call it off. I’m glad it launched me on the path it did.
PapDids
39. Dumb Enjoyer
We both came from religious households, and his mother did everything for him, so traditionally, he put all the housework and cooking on me.
He was very sexist, but I could have dealt with that if he hadn't revealed how utterly stupid he was. I knew him for 10 years prior to marrying him.
Still, I guess I never noticed, or he hid it because we couldn't live together (religious). On our honeymoon, I bought a book to read in my downtime, and he proudly announced he couldn't read books.
I tried to understand what he meant by being accommodating, and he kept saying that his brain refused to pay attention while reading books because they were not worth his time/useless.
Like reading magazines or the internet is okay, but books? He just couldn't be bothered... his brain wouldn't allow him.
I was horrified about how much pride he took in being so ignorant and frankly dumb that, in my terror, I read a chapter of my book out loud and asked if he could follow that. Nope! He grinned ear to ear. I wish I were joking.
I noticed from then on that every time I said a big word, he wouldn't know what it meant. I mean, not like huge vocabulary words, but 10th-grade words.
I realized that mentally, we were just on two separate levels, and there was no way I could respect this man who enjoyed being so dumb. I have a million stories about my ex-husband, but this was the moment I knew I would divorce him.
woodstockiewuvswuv
40. Called A Boring Guy
3 months into it, we were together. For 3 years, and after our wedding, she decided that she would go out clubbing, drinking, coming home trash.
I have to deal with it now because I was her husband. One day, she came home and started yelling because her sister had planted a seed that a husband who doesn’t drink or club isn’t worth it.
We got a divorce 4 months into our marriage, I joke, saying I had the world’s shortest marriage, but it’s been 3 years, no gfs, no dating.
That divorce was fast, but I think it left me damaged. It still hurts thinking about it, especially since we have an almost 4-year-old son from before the divorce
eppiic
41. Late Conversation
Wife decided she wanted to be Poly 2 months in. I should have known then, but I figured I'd try it; it made logical sense to me.
She kept drifting away from me the whole time she was dating people. The first time I had my own dates, I remembered what my relationship was supposed to feel like.
We went to counseling, and she revealed that she hadn't been happy with me for years for things that were basic to who I am.
She never brought it up because, in her head, she had convinced herself I was perfect partially just cause I wasn't toxic, and she was afraid I'd leave her.
Separated 6 months in, really wish she had told me earlier she didn't like huge portions of who I am. I'm monogamous again.
She is poly and seems really happy with it. I'm happy for her. It still hurts a bit, though, but we are very different people now. It was an 8-year relationship, a 6-month marriage.
chuckvsthelife
42. Late Realizations
I had no idea things were bad if I'm being honest. I thought we'd worked through our problems & still both loved each other.
He left one month after our wedding. We were together for 4 years prior to getting married. I didn't learn that he had been cheating for more than a year until about 3 months after he left.
I don't think I truly realized that I wasn't happy in the relationship until about a year to a year and a half after he left.
At that point, I started talking to friends again that I hadn't spent any time with in a while because I was always "too busy." Too busy meant that I didn't want to be around anyone but him.
It's one of the things I can look back on now & realize that the more he made me feel like no one else would want me, the more I was clinging to him because I believed it.
I truly believed he was my only chance at ever being happy or having someone love me. I also started watching the sports teams I love again but had stopped watching games because he didn't like sports & constantly acted like it was something stupid.
I didn't want to disappoint him, so I would cave and ask about things he wanted to do. There were so many red flags, but he was my first serious relationship about a year out of high school.
It took me at least that first year or more after he left to even start to realize just what a prick he was & how toxic he was.
[deleted]
43. A Living Lie
Three months after getting married, I found out that my husband had embezzled $150k from his employer and had been caught before our wedding.
When we were on our honeymoon (back in the day), he always wanted to go to internet cafes. Turns out it's because he was emailing his old boss, pretending to be his father, trying to negotiate a payment plan for the money.
In the end, his parents took out a mortgage on their home and saved him from jail. None of them told me this. I found out on my own, snooping in his email because my spidey sense was tingling.
Once that came out, it turned out that he was also basically a pathological liar. None of the stories he'd told me while dating were his. He passed off other people's stories as his own. He never went to either of the colleges he said he went to and got his diploma online.
I was so dumb that I believed once it all came out, it would be a fresh start/clean slate for him. We went to therapy for a long time, apart and together. We worked through it (I thought), we stayed married and had two kids.
I eventually found out that he'd still been lying and that he'd managed to rack up $70k in credit card debt in a communal property state. He's a sentient turd.
getthatcookietillie
44. Horrible Hobby
Got married on our 4 year anniversary. Divorced 10 months later. Found out she had been cheating the whole time. Hooking up with strangers on banging sites.
Sometimes, she even sells herself for cash... Maybe that turned her on because we didn't need money... I'll never know why she did it. I was a great man.
I sacrificed my health and sanity for her... And at the end of the day, I was just a paycheck and a cash cow… I'm... Still not okay a year and a half after it ended…
HeavyMetalHeartbreak
45. Unfit Relationship
I knew it was a mistake when she came back from the summer studying at a conservatory program and had started (at least) an emotional affair with another student.
But stupid 20-something me refused to call it off. Then we moved across the country, hated each other, and split up in about nine months.
She was also rumored to have cheated on me again with a classmate and is now married to that guy and had a baby. One of the biggest reasons we split up was that she said she was never having children.
The second marriage is five years strong now, hopefully, we are about to upgrade our living situation and start planning for a kid.
vermonterjones