From Boardroom to Barnyard

"Ma'am, the CEO has been banished to the countryside for a month now, just as you ordered."

"Has he learned his lesson?"

"Oh, absolutely!!!"

"..."

"Well, tell him to stay put!!!"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll call the CEO right away."

My name is Mia Sinclair, and the CEO my assistant was talking about is my husband, Ethan Sinclair. I've shipped him off to the countryside for a month now.

There's a reason for this, of course.

Ethan and I were childhood sweethearts, grew up together, and had a great relationship. After graduation, we tied the knot, just like everyone hoped we would.

After college, he took over the family business, while I chose to be a full-time homemaker.

Don't get me wrong, it was my choice.

Given how my mom raised me, I always felt that in a family, one person handles the home front while the other deals with the outside world. Someone has to sacrifice, so I volunteered.

Being Ethan's wife isn't a walk in the park. Dealing with his big family and my own, plus all the complicated relationships, is no easier than handling clients at work. One wrong move and people are all over you.

Work is exhausting, but so is navigating all of this.

I feel like I've put just as much into this marriage as he has, maybe even more.

I get where he's coming from, so I can usually let his occasional griping slide.

But he crossed the line when he got drunk and said I don't contribute to the family, that I just stay at home and don't understand how hard his work is or how tough entertaining clients can be.

Who am I staying home for? How could he say something like that?

In vino veritas - he must have meant every word.

That night, I sat on the couch all night, couldn't sleep a wink. Before dawn, I drove to the Sinclair family mansion.

My in-laws are reasonable people. They knew Ethan was in the wrong and didn't try to cover for their son. Instead, they fully backed my idea.

My father-in-law worked fast. In less than an hour, the assignment notice came through.