{"id":4112,"date":"2025-06-11T19:45:08","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T19:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=4112"},"modified":"2025-06-11T19:45:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T19:45:08","slug":"4112","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=4112","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"An<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

An emotional woman standing in an office | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

He replied with confetti emojis and said that he’d be ready with a bottle of wine and dinner when I got home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Success was sweet, of course, but it came with a sour aftertaste. Longer hours, late dinners, and laundry that never folded itself. I stopped wearing mascara because I couldn’t be bothered to scrub it off at night. I stopped taking lunch breaks and would eat at my desk while still typing away.<\/p>\n

My inbox never slept, and neither did I.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A woman sitting at her desk and working | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

One Tuesday evening, as I reheated my third takeout meal for the week, Greg looked up from the kitchen island.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

“You’re doing too much, Lizzie,” he said. “Let’s get a maid. We need someone who can… help out.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

“A what?” I blinked at him, still holding my fork while the microwave brought the Indian leftovers back to life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

“A maid, a helper. My mom’s friend’s daughter is looking for a job. She’s young, polite. I thought… why not?”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A container of food on a counter | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n

Now, Greg came from a long line of “a woman’s place is in the home” men. Once, just before we headed out to dinner, Greg was busy changing while I vacuumed, fully dressed.<\/p>\n

\n

“You make it look good, babe,” he said, pointing to my heels. “Wow.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Since then, he’d been trying to change… He’d been helping out more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

So this? This offer? It almost knocked me over.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A close up of a vacuum cleaner | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

“You shouldn’t have to come home from work and clean, Lizzie,” he nodded. “I can do the easy things when I get in… but the construction site’s been gruelling lately, my back is constantly sore. We need someone to take care of the deeper cleaning and all the laundry.”<\/p>\n

I was so grateful to hear him say this that I almost cried.<\/p>\n

\n

“I’ll take care of everything, my love,” he said. “Just… say yes.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A construction site | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

“Okay,” I agreed. “Let’s do it.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Maria started the following Monday. I barely saw her. She came home during my work hours and left polite sticky notes on the fridge.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

“Washed the bedding!”<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

“Scrubbed the oven. Have marinated chicken for dinner. Just throw it in.”<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

“Hope your big conference went well!”<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"Colored<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Colored post-it notes on a fridge | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n

It was like a ghost that left everything better than it found it.<\/p>\n

\n

For the first time in months, I exhaled. The house smelled like lemon, my clothes magically reappeared in drawers, perfectly ironed. The house stayed clean and fresh.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

It felt like we were finally getting a rhythm back.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"Clothing<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Clothing on hangers | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

And then I started sleepwalking again.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

It had been years since I’d experienced that pesky problem, since high school, really. But one morning, I woke up with bruises on my shins and my robe tangled in the hallway.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

“Stress can trigger old habits, Elizabeth,” my doctor said. “That’s what’s happening right now. You mentioned a new promotion at work? I’m sure that’s come with its fair share of issues.”<\/p>\n

“It has come with a larger workload,” I agreed. “Longer hours, more meetings, and the admin of paperwork…”<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A close up of a doctor | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

“I can give you medication, Elizabeth,” he said. “But I don’t want that to be our first step. You’ve conquered this before, so it’s all about training your brain to get back into that system. I’m going to suggest a sleep journal.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I nodded, making notes as he spoke.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

“And if you can,” he added. “Try motion-detecting cameras. Sometimes just seeing what happens helps you understand the pattern.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A woman sitting in a doctor’s room | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n

Greg didn’t know. And I didn’t want to worry him and have him question my promotion. So I went out on a lunch break and bought two small, discreet cameras, one for our bedroom and one for the hallway.<\/p>\n

\n

Nothing fancy. Just enough to catch me if I wandered in the night.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

But I didn’t expect to catch him…\u00a0Greg<\/i>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"Two<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Two cameras in a box | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

It was Friday. I had the afternoon off, finally. I curled up on the couch with leftover Thai food and decided to review the footage. Greg was still at work, so there was no need to hide anything.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I hadn’t sleepwalked in three days, my sleep journal was sounding more normal, but I wanted to double-check before updating my doctor.<\/p>\n

The hallway cam showed Greg coming home around noon. It was odd. He usually worked until five or six. I tilted my head, curious.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"Leftover<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Leftover food on a coffee table | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Twenty minutes later, Maria walked in, hands full of groceries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

They were both laughing. Not like coworkers, or an employer-employee relationship… but like friends.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I paused the video. Then rewound it. Then watched it again.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Maria set the groceries down. Greg fussed around the kettle and set down a cup of tea in front of her. She touched his arm when she laughed. She leaned in too close.<\/p>\n

And then… they hugged.<\/p>\n

\n

Not a side hug. Not a quick pat.\u00a0But a long, intimate, familiar hug.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I felt something cold crawl up my spine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

No. No, it couldn’t be that.\u00a0<\/i>I refused to jump to conclusions. Maybe she was upset. Maybe he was comforting her. Or… thanking her for keeping our house afloat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"A<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A woman sitting on a couch and using her phone | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

But then I clicked on another clip.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Greg and Maria standing in the hallway. Greg brushing her hair back from her face. Maria touching his chest.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Then they walked out of frame.<\/p>\n

That night, I moved around in autopilot. I made a pasta salad and grilled chicken for supper, grateful for something to do. I did the dishes and waited for Greg. We sat down and ate together.<\/p>\n

\n

“My back is killing me,” Greg said. “I’m going to take something for it and sleep it off after dinner.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Other than that?\u00a0Silence.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\"Food<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Food on a kitchen counter | Source: Midjourney<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/path><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An emotional woman standing in an office | Source: Midjourney He replied with confetti emojis and said that he’d be ready with a bottle of wine and dinner when I got home. Success was sweet, of course, but it came with a sour aftertaste. Longer hours, late dinners, and laundry that never folded itself. I…<\/p>\n

Read More “”<\/span> »<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/path><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":9,"today_views":0},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4112"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4115,"href":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4112\/revisions\/4115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}