When I overheard my husband mocking how much I’d aged since our wedding, I decided to give him an anniversary gift he’d never forget. He thought he’d outsmarted me, unaware that his biggest mistake was yet to come.

Five years ago, when Elias and I married, he couldn’t keep his hands off me. He brought flowers for no reason, kissed me while I cooked, and called me the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

But somewhere between raising two children and working full-time from home, everything changed.

Our oldest was three, and our youngest was eighteen months. Between preschool drop-offs, laundry, meals, cleaning, and sleepless nights, I barely found time to shower.

Meanwhile, Elias slept eight hours a night, spent two hours at the gym most evenings, and played video games on weekends.

Lately, he’d begun criticizing my appearance.

“You’re looking tired again. Maybe you should get more sleep.”