Divorced People Reveal The Final Straw That Ended Their Marriage

Relationship Sabotage

"When I realized they weren’t trying to fix anything in the relationship, but were actively trying to make things worse. Turns out couples therapy was weaponized."

- pacmanman

"It’s pretty sad how many people agree to couples therapy just so they can try to use the therapist's words to win arguments."

- joecee97

The Annoying Partner

"When I realized they found every single thing I did to be annoying. The way I walk, talk, eat, sit, you name it. Other people seem to like me so I'd rather hang with them."

- TRIGMILLION

"There’s nothing worse in the world when this happens from someone that used to see you the opposite way, through a lens of infatuation, where everything you did was a cute quirk."

- Thursday_the_20th

Married Just Because

"I knew my first marriage was over when I'd come home from work and see her car in the driveway and sigh to myself because I didn't want her to be there."

"We were young, early 20s with two kids. I wasn't really in love with her. It was more of in love with the idea of being married, starting a family, etc."

"I tried to stick it out because that's what I thought you were supposed to do."

"After about another year, she asked for a divorce. I didn't want to be divorced, but I didn't want to be married to her, either. In the end, it was better that we got divorced."

- HumpieDouglas

The Malicious Partner

"I started running to help me lose weight. It was very successful."

"I got fit and skinny and he couldn’t deal with other men looking at me in public."

"It got so bad, I would look at the pavement if we were out somewhere, because if I happened to be looking up and some random guy crossed my field of vision, I would get berated, like, 'That guy was looking at you. What did you do? You were flirting with him in front of me.'"

"I was 'in trouble' simply for existing."

"As bad as that was, the 'last straw' came one morning when I was about to head out for a long run. I was in our kitchen putting on a hat and gloves and he said, 'You’re really looking forward to this, aren’t you?'"

"I said, 'Well, yeah.'"

"As I went out the back door, he said in a nasty, hateful voice oozing malice and condescension, 'Well, go appease the running gods, then.'"

" The moment I closed the door behind me, standing on my back porch, I thought, 'That’s it. I can’t listen to that for the rest of my life. I’m done.'"

"Our marriage was running on fumes at that point anyway, but that was it. The moment that broke me. Later that day, I said I was done and wanted a divorce."

"I’m coming up on 15 years since that moment and I don’t regret ending my marriage for one second."

- snerdie

Eye-Opening Advice

"I knew when our marriage counselor told me divorce was something the kids and I could work through but the never-ending H**L from my partner was not."

- 2x4x93

"I had a counselor tell me this. I didn’t believe her. Couldn’t believe her. Yet, she was correct. Everything regarding my relationship with my kids is better. Everything."

- former-bishop

The Cowardly Partner

"The told me the only reason they hadn’t already left was because they were a coward. I’m not."

- 2corbies

Their Dating Life

"When he started dating but forgot to tell me, his wife of ten years."

- itsybitsyboots

"Same, although a husband of ten years."

"I found the pictures on her laptop on Easter morning while she had taken our two kids to the neighborhood park. Easter was a rough holiday for a couple of years after that. I'm much better now."

- Puzzleheaded-Cut3144

An Expensive Gift

"When I discovered he had spent a fortune on a necklace and he didn’t give it to me on Christmas Day."

"We had two very small children and no spare money so I was a little bit put out that he had spent so much money on me... but it wasn’t for me."

"It was a horrific Christmas. I went to the bank to check on other things to find he had forged all my details and taken me off the joint bank account. And I didn’t see any of it coming."

"I left with my children and the clothes we stood up in. It was soooo hard but we are okay now."

- doloresfandango

The Unsupportive Partner

"I’m very family oriented. We went on a family vacation and he told me what a bad mother and wife I was because I wasn’t catering enough to his needs (I was helping everyone pack their clothes and food, I packed the car, and he didn’t help), and I forgot my son's milk (which was easily purchased the next morning)."

"There were so many more things but that was that."

"He still won’t sign the divorce papers."

- Bella-Y-Terrible

"I've been researching this because I’m unfortunately likely going to be getting a divorce soon."

"In my state, the papers need to be served and then the other party has 60 days to respond. If they don’t respond, it just defaults to the person filing as 'winning.'"

"It’s like most lawsuits. If you don’t respond after being properly served, you’ll lose by default."

- Bg-j38

The Projecting Partner

"It was when he told me he didn't think I had ever loved him."

"We had been married for 10 years, and we had two children together. I had stood by his side as he spiraled into depression, anxiety, and panic attacks, I had forgiven him for multiple affairs, and dropped out of school to support our family when he abruptly quit his job citing mental health concerns."

"Yet after all this, he was convinced I had 'never' loved him."

"And I realized that it was all projection. No one wants to be the bad guy in their own story, and he couldn't face that he didn't want the life we had built, so he concocted a story in his head that shifted the blame to me, and decided I had never loved him."

"I had withstood an awful lot in what had become a very toxic environment, but in that moment, I knew I had to leave. No point in sticking around to try to convince someone you love them if they have determined you don't."

"I took off my ring that day, and never put it back on."

- PaganButterflies

When the Grass Is Greener

"When I found on his phone that he was complimenting this woman on how wonderful a mother she was because her sick kid got better."

"He had spent ten years telling me how lazy, useless, and worthless I was, even though I did 99% of everything at home including all the childcare. Yet he could be nice to this woman, he was actually capable of kindness and compliments."

"He was also sexting her but I felt mostly betrayed by him giving attention and kindness to someone while being a complete d-bag to me."

- Alien_Nicole

Never Good Enough

"He told me constantly that my career (the one I’d met him in) was pointless and I didn’t contribute anything."

"So I spent years re-training for a different career and was promoted after a year, way ahead of expected schedule, to a leadership position."

"He didn’t want me to take it and made it clear that he didn’t think I could do it, but I took it anyway."

"Then I was earning more money than him and working about 60 hours per week, and he complained the house looked like crap."

"I agreed and suggested that we got a cleaner now I could afford it."

"He told me, 'This house isn’t big enough to justify a cleaner. You should be able to deal with it.'"

"I realized I’d never be anything but an inconvenience to him. He didn’t actually want me to be successful, just a housewife, even though he seemed to hate that too. I couldn’t win. So I left."

"(Now I'm very happily remarried to my biggest cheerleader.)"

- RiverLover27

​The Not-So-Peaceful Home

"I felt sick to my stomach and anxious all the time. That 'walking on eggshells' feeling. When I realized after she went back to work part-time that the highlight of my life was when she was not there but I was home alone with our daughter."

"It was so hard because I had to give up being with my child full-time, but after many bumpy years our shared custody is pretty fair, and we really don’t have much animosity left between us."

- Sookecute

The Unfaithful Partner

"Easy peasy."

"She started hanging out with her manager from work where she used to work. Lunches, brunches, dinners, and drinks. She would tell me I wouldn’t understand what they were talking about since it was work-related and we were working in different fields."

"No problem. I trusted her until one day while she was seated on her sofa and I was cooking, I went to make her try her favorite food, and I saw a message from the guy along the lines of, 'I'm so happy you’ve had your lunch, beautiful.'"

"When confronted, I was told he was just a friend and nothing else."

"I told her it’s been eating me up inside, because it made me feel uncomfortable that she’s spending so much time with him and he’s clearly flirting. I asked her how would It feel if the roles were reversed and I was spending eight hours at their place. I was told that it was okay because that’s my best friend."

"Fast forward a couple of months, and I was seeing my parents for the first time in nine years. I was super elated."

"That was when she dropped the bomb that she wanted a divorce. She left the entire mortgage and debt on me and bounced."

"She moved in with the guy the same day she moved out, citing it would be cost-efficient. She makes six figures, by the way. She told me I could keep the house and in return pay her some money back."

"It's been the best eight or nine months of my life ever since. As it turns out, she was indeed cheating but couldn’t come to terms with telling me about it, so she bounced. It's weird how people who have been with you for 10 years tell you some of the most vile things known to man in order to gaslight you and break you down."

"Edited to add: A few people asked if they are still together. And apparently, they are. She told one of her ex-friends that they just got together but she was called out on it. So she cut ties with almost all of her friends, lol (laughing out loud)."

- AcePrit

Better Without Them

"My first wife decided she doesn’t want to be married anymore and we separated."

"I moved away and got my life together, and she then decided that she wanted me back."

"I told her my life was fine as it is now and did not want to get back together."

"She sent me divorce papers a month later."

- dma1965

There are countless reasons why a relationship might not work out, but these Redditors definitely had some stories to tell.