When my husband Craig was in a car accident, his right leg was severely injured. Doctors warned it would take months of rehab, so I became his full-time caregiver. The constant lifting, cooking, and cleaning left me exhausted, but Craig insisted I not let his controlling mother move in. Instead, I hired Emily, a kind and competent nurse, to help.

For a few weeks, everything seemed fine. Craig acted weak and in pain, always using crutches. But one afternoon, Emily came to me looking shaken. She admitted she’d returned from lunch early and seen Craig walking normally — no limp, no crutches, no sign of discomfort. When he spotted her, he quickly sat down, clutching his leg.

Emily also overheard him on the phone with his mother, laughing about how good he felt. He bragged that he planned to “milk this” and live off my care for as long as possible. Shocked and furious, I asked Emily to keep quiet while I figured out what to do.

The next day, I came home unexpectedly and saw Craig through the kitchen window, standing perfectly upright and talking on the phone. He told his mother it was “like a vacation” and that he wouldn’t lift a finger until Christmas. I recorded the entire conversation.

That evening, I handed Craig divorce papers along with a trash bag for his clothes. When he protested, I told him to “walk himself out” — and he did, without a limp.

Craig moved in with his mother. Emily stayed on as my tenant, and life without my manipulative husband felt lighter than ever.