I am headed into the 'talk' when my wife returns from her work trip later this week, and I am just numb.
Here is the first post Link. I am 35M with 34F wife, no kids, married 5 years, together 10 years, both are career oriented professionals.
In past 5 months, I have:
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Lifting: Decent gains on SL5x5, currently below 14% BF, abs barely visible. Need to hit hypertorphy to get bigger biceps, right now they are just functionally strong, not aesthetically huge.
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Financial: I have always handled all money. I make in top 10% of US salary, and hold a decent position at a reputable company that everyone of you would have heard of. Her salary goes into her accounts (checking and saving) and I don't use that money for expenses at all.
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Social: In my circles, I am the fun loving maverick. I have been attending at least 1 meet up every 2-3 weeks to meet and talk to new people.
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Reading: Pretty much read through all sidebar material in first 3 months, and am on second slow read as I understand the concepts much more clearly now.
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Dread level: I maintain frame, have been angry only about 1-2 times in past couple months. Depending on demographics around, I vary in SMV from 6 to 8. Wife is solid 7.
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Current Shortcomings: I took over my life back in my hands. From my own laundry to cooking and cleaning, and maintaining the house, I got it all by myself, and working 12-16 hours a day, sleeping and working out 3x week. But, I am failing to lead. I have tried getting wife to join me on hikes, bike rides, bowling etc, but she either has work to finish off on weekends, or she is just watching TV at home, or visiting her sister who lives few miles away. I don't push, I just ask her, if she doesn't join, I go ahead and have a good time anyway. We have just grown apart a lot in the past 5 months.
So what brings the main event? On her work trip, she went a day ahead of required, with her sister, and went to town drinking until 4am. Her sister has some in laws living there so she had joined my wife on the trip. She has done this exact thing once earlier, and we had an agreement that this will not be repeated. She had agreed to not have more than 1 drink when I am not around, and she drunk dialed me at 4am when she got back to hotel, and had no recollection of the phone call next morning. I don't care anymore if she was just having a good time with her sister or trying to hook up. GNO was off limits and she crossed it. She now (under strong influence of her sister) does not feel she did anything blatantly wrong. She said in lot of words on phone on morning that she wants to live her life too. I just said, I hear you but this is crossing the boundaries we set, and put phone down. I haven't responded to her calls or texts since after that. She returns back Friday evening, and I am getting ready for a main event.
As I see it, to her I am still a boring worker bee. Her only hobbies are drinking and partying, which we do around once a month. She takes no interest in any of my activities. In past 3 months, my extrovertedness has increased by leaps and bounds; thanks to lifting, I am now in best shape of my life, much leaner and stronger than even before I met my wife. I would have preferred to climb the dread levels one by one but this incident has nuked that plan.
Somehow, I am just numb. I went online and printed the forms for divorce filing favoring me financially, as she only started working recently, and I would rather burn my money than share with her. I am preparing myself to stay calm during the 'talk'. I would have preferred to keep working on myself for bit longer but this is unacceptable to me, and she has known this, and is trying to justifying her actions.
She has in past (before I arrived at MRP) during all such 'talks' and discussions said she feels she is inadequate for me, and I should find someone else. I would try to placate her by citing her good qualities, and she would promise to work on her shortcomings and nothing would change, but that cycle kept repeating. For past 5 months, I don't argue back or placate her. I just say, I agree, or hmm, or I hear you, and nothing else.
No Outcome Independence If she sticks to her statements and wants to live her life, I will simply present her the divorce papers and file them immediately. It will sting me emotionally and financially but so be it.
However, if in the next couple days she reverses course and pleads guilty and promises to do everything I say, I am not sure I want to forgive her and giver her another chance. I know it is bit too early for her to notice changes in me and follow the lead, and I am not exactly Don Juan, but a rather boring worker bee so far. In past 5 months, the biggest gains were in gym, in my frame and a bit in being more socially outgoing. Not enough to have her follow me. But crossing hard boundaries and trying to renegotiate new boundaries is just unacceptable.
EDIT: I say boring because that is what she has referred to me couple of times in past. Her colleagues and friends love enjoying time with me during drinking nights. My friends (and their wives) adore me. According to me, I am a mature fun loving guy, but put me in a demographics of 21-25 year olds I am a boring guy.
EDIT 2: No, she does not know about divorce papers. There will be no ultimatum to comply or anything. I will just hear her out what she has to say.
(Scenario 1) If she insists to continue this way, then I bring out the papers and leave.
(Scenario 2) However, if she says she will fix things and change, why would it be different now? If in this scenario I bring out divorce papers to warn her to comply then I am coming from place of weakness. But, I do not bring out the divorce papers unless I have decided I am walking out, for good.
My dilemma is only for the second scenario, if she says she will change, do I still walk away or continue with my dread levels as planned.
EDIT 3: Thanks everyone for your inputs. I have a lot of work to do to improve myself. As /u/over60_stupid_loner put it, I am not there yet. I don't know yet what I will say or do at the 'talk', but I will just continue to work on my MAP for now. Scenario 1 or 2, not nuking it yet. I need to improve first.
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