My husband and I married last weekend, but things spiraled out of control almost immediately. Before the wedding, we started a business together because he had recently been retrenched and wanted to contribute to the household. I invested eighty percent of the starting capital, and I put all my effort into getting the new venture onto its feet. I worked long hours and often worked through the night. I believed completely that it was our business and our success.
I set up the entire workspace and even managed to bring several of my own personal clients to support the new business. Up until the wedding day itself, I thought my husband felt the same way, but I had no idea how wrong I was about his perception of our partnership. Our wedding ceremony went off without a hitch, a beautiful day of celebration, but everything changed during the groom’s speech at the reception.
He began talking about our business venture, and I froze when he raised his glass, gave me a sickeningly sweet smile, and referred to me as “My little assistant.” He then proceeded to tell everyone about what a great help I was when he started “his business.” He never once mentioned that I was the majority shareholder of the company or that he would have no clients without me.
I kept quiet during the speech, letting him make an absolute fool out of himself in front of many people who knew the full truth of our financial and labor arrangement. I did not cause a scene, but I promised myself that I would take matters into my own hands later that same night. His minimizing public statement was a profound wake-up call to his true nature, which he had successfully hidden.
My husband foolishly forgot about the very detailed prenup and our ironclad business partnership agreement. I immediately called my lawyer and requested that the annulment process begin. We initially offered to buy my husband out of the company to peacefully take over the entire business operation. When he emphatically refused the offer, I legally put the termination of the business partnership into immediate effect.
Now, my husband is frantically trying to “fix things” by claiming I completely misunderstood the meaning of his speech. He insists he was only trying to “thank me,” not humiliate me or make me feel that my critical efforts were unappreciated. But for me, it is far too late for that kind of emotional damage control. I only feel a heavy sense of guilt about tossing him out, knowing that he truly doesn’t have a foot to stand on now.
