I waited for the punchline, but it never came.
“You can’t be serious, James. I only work part-time, remember? And it was your idea that I cut back my hours. I’m already stretched thin managing the house and taking care of our daughter. How do you expect me to contribute equally?”
He shrugged. “It’s not my fault you chose to settle for less.”
“I didn’t choose this,” I reminded him. “You pushed for it.”
“Yeah, but things are different now.”
“So, let me get this straight: you want me to manage the house, raise our child, and still contribute half of everything?”
“It’s only fair,” he replied. “We’re a team, aren’t we? And teams contribute equally.”
But I found nothing. His eyes glinted with excitement, and he grinned at me like a kid on Christmas.
“You want fair?” I muttered.
“Fine. I’ll agree under one condition: we make it official. We’ll draw up an agreement and have it notarized. Everything split right down the middle.”
“That’s a brilliant idea, honey!” James’s smile was all teeth.
“I’m going to have a busy day tomorrow, so why don’t you sort out the paperwork and let me know when it’s ready for me to sign?”
“Of course.” I clenched my teeth into a smile and sipped my champagne.

