In the early years of our marriage, we were happy. But after our child was born, I became irritable and short-tempered, and in 2019 we came close to our first divorce, largely because of my anger issues. I apologized and promised to change, and that may have been the point when my wife began to behave differently.

As time passed, I saw myself improving after trying to control my temper and helping more around the house. But from then on my wife made most of the decisions at home. After she received a massive pay bump in 2022, I felt even more overshadowed.

From that point, there were times my wife stopped seeing me as a support, though she still confided in me about her work. Over time she corrected me more often, and the smallest issue could make her angry and demand a divorce. It became a repeated pattern that has weighed heavily on me.

About a month ago, after another similar argument, I felt ready to give up but my wife took the initiative to make peace, and I tend to forgive quickly. After we reconciled, things returned to the old cycle, and minor issues would set her off again.

I tried to have a heart-to-heart with her and said that I only wanted her to be more understanding so our life could be easier; otherwise I could no longer live like that. She said that if I could not live with her then we should separate.

I was so frustrated at the time that I sent her a PDF file containing divorce procedures without mediation. Three days later, after postponing the discussion because we had visitors, she signed the papers and handed them to me last night. I did not respond, only saying I was tired and would look at them later.

I made it clear that divorce is not what I want and that it should be the last resort in hopes my wife would be more understanding. But she told me, “I confided in you about work so you think this is who I am,” and “You’re neither a financial nor emotional support.”

The more we talked, the more it turned into an argument, so I stayed silent. She continued talking to me afterward.

Now I feel empty. I love my child but I do not know what to do. Staying with my wife means I would continue to feel powerless, but leaving feels unfair to our child. I still care about her. I am 36, and she is one year younger.