Yes, I do believe as couples grow and mature, they can grow apart, if they are not both on the same page. The expectations change and resentment grows. In their case, he, the small-town factory worker at the beginning, served her needs well. Once he was able to grow and promote himself in the manufacturing business he was in, and finally use the degree he had, it did not serve her needs. Animosity grew,  even as he took her to Tahiti and every Caribbean island out there at least 3 x a year for years, to try and please her the way he only knew how. A disastrous financial bankruptcy in 2008 and  she had him by the short hairs, as it were. He dumped every last dime he had, to save the house, the family ( both sons lost their jobs, and he took his savings to help them save their houses and cars), but it was never enough. So, finally after exhausting everything, he could only go thru bankruptcy, saved their house, and both single sons lost their houses and moved in over 8 years ago and havent left. She has left the home over 3 years ago, but continues to pull the strings at her leisure.

In my case, there was not so much of  that drama, but I always  made to feel belittled and inferior, even though it was my career and my working that saved us during my husband’s bankruptcy..  R-1 opened my eyes very gently to the reality of me being used and then no gratitude on this side either. Just jabs to put me in my place about my looks, my job, my parenting, etc.  Just take and take, and keep me feeling “less than” and thinking whatever I did, wasnt enough.

2 peas in a pod….the best thing is that we both do not have small children that would be affected. We are both older, and our adult sons of us may not like us, but too bad, once we take flight from this.  If we should ultimately not ever be able to get together (one of us dies or gets seriously sick), we have each other in our hearts, and know we were loved unconditionally and adored without  question by each other.