When I got a $640K job offer, I thought my wife would be thrilled. Instead, her shocking response not only made me turn down the job, but also question everything about our ten-year marriage — and now I’m facing the toughest decision of my life.
I got the job offer of a lifetime last week. Six hundred and forty grand a year. That’s not a typo. My current gig pays two-fifty, which ain’t bad, but this? This was life-changing money.
I rushed home to tell Sarah, my wife of ten years. “Babe, you’re not gonna believe this,” I said, bursting through the door.
Sarah looked up from her laptop, her brow furrowed. “What’s going on, Jack?”
“I got offered a new job. It’s overseas, but get this — it pays six-forty a year.”
Her eyes widened. “Six hundred and forty thousand dollars?”
I nodded, grinning like an idiot. “Can you believe it? We could pay off all our debts, buy that house you’ve been eyeing, travel during my time off…”
But Sarah’s face fell. “Overseas? How long would you be gone?”
“Four months at a time,” I admitted. “But it’s only for a year or two. Think of what we could do with that money!”
Sarah shook her head. “Jack, that’s a long time to be apart. I don’t like it.”
I was stunned. “But… don’t you see the opportunity here? We could set ourselves up for life!”
“I need to think about this,” she said, walking out of the room.
“But it’s not forever,” I argued. “And think of what we could do with that money.”
David gave me a long look. “Is the money worth risking your marriage?”
His words hit me hard. Was I being selfish? I spent the rest of the night mulling it over.
When I got home, Sarah was on the couch, scrolling through her phone. She barely looked up when I walked in.
“Hey,” I said, sitting next to her. “Can we talk?”
She sighed, putting her phone down. “About what?”
“I don’t want you to take that job,” she said firmly.
“Why not? Is it the distance? We can make it work, I promise.”
Sarah shook her head. “It’s not just that. If you’re gone for that long… I might need company.”
I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. “Are you… are you saying you’d cheat on me?”
“I’m trying to be honest with you,” she said. “I don’t want to, but I don’t know if I can handle being alone for that long.”
My legs shaky all of a sudden. “I understand completely.”
Sarah looked relieved. “You do?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I understand that our marriage is over.”
Her face crumpled. “What? No, Jack, that’s not what I meant!”
But I was already walking out the door. “I’ll be at David’s. Don’t call me.”
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