I am 35 and have been married for seven years. We have three children, and the youngest is just a year old.
Right after we married, my husband asked me to stop working. He promised to pay me, but he has never given me a single penny till today. He only gives money for the household, and even that is sometimes not enough, so I struggle.
I have a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management. I completed it the same year we got married. I had good job offers at the time, but he insisted that I shouldn’t work, so I obeyed. I graduated with distinction, and I know I can still find a job now, but I allowed him to have his way.
At the moment, the highest amount he gives me and our three children for the whole month is GHC1,800. I feed all of us from that. I cook from that money, and the children need at least GHC60 each day for school, Monday to Friday. I do a few online jobs to support myself, but the income is very small.
I have managed all these years, but three days ago, he made my situation worse. He came home with a three-year-old child, in tears, saying he had the child outside our marriage and that the woman left the child at his workplace that day. He begged me to forgive him and help raise the child. He said he couldn’t afford the amount the woman demanded for upkeep, so she dropped the child and ended the relationship.
This broke me completely. I told him I would think about it, but the child is already here, and I’m the one taking care of him. I am hurting deeply. I don’t know how to speak without breaking down. The child is innocent, so I’m trying not to take my pain out on him, and he’s slowly blending in.
I don’t know what to do. I’ve been thinking about securing a job and leaving the marriage quietly. I don’t want to talk because I am so hurt.
I need advice. I need guidance. I am broken.
