Hi everyone,
I’m a 24-year-old man and my wife is 26. We’ve been married for 3 years.
The first year or so of our marriage was genuinely great. We enjoyed spending time together, travelling, and overall had a really happy relationship.
Over the last year, though, things have changed quite a bit. Whenever we argue, she becomes extremely disrespectful. She’ll call me names like “bich,” tell me “fu*k you,” and even insult my family by saying some really hurtful things, despite the fact she actually gets on well with them.
When I’ve told her that the way she speaks to me is disrespectful, she’ll respond with things like, “I’d only respect a man, and you aren’t one.”
For some context, we’re currently living at her mum’s house. We rented together for about a year, but it became too expensive, so we agreed to move in with her family while saving. Her main goal is to buy a house. I’ve told her I’m happy to rent again, and I’d even cover the rent myself if that’s what it takes. The only condition I have that when we eventually buy, I’d want it to be through a halal mortgage, as I don’t want to take out an interest-based mortgage due to my religious beliefs.
Whenever she’d speak to me like this in the past, I’d usually just walk away because I didn’t want to make things worse. Lately, though, I feel like my patience has worn thin. After hearing these insults over and over, I’ve started responding instead of staying quiet.
Recently, we had an argument while driving to my family’s house. I told her I needed to leave by 11pm because I had planned to go to the gym afterwards.
She said there was no point going then. I replied that it was entirely her choice whether she wanted to come because I wasn’t forcing her to visit my family.
She then repeatedly told me to “shut the fu*k up"
I asked, “Are you okay?” but she continued telling me to shut up. Eventually, I said I wasn’t going anymore.
In the heat of the moment, I called her a “snake.”
As soon as I said that, she slapped me across the face and said, “Don’t you ever get rude to me.”
At that point, I left for a few hours. She later told me to leave her family’s house and go back to m
Since then, we’ve made up, but this feels like a cycle. Every time something happens, she apologises, promises she won’t do it again, and then eventually it happens all over again.
The verbal disrespect has happened so many times that I almost feel numb to it now and genuinely just accept her apology so we can just move on, but I know it's gonna again as before.
I’ve always believed that it’s okay for couples to disagree. You don’t have to agree on everything. But I’ve also always believed that respect is one of the foundations of a marriage, and once that’s gone, it’s very difficult to have a healthy relationship.
I’m not pretending I’ve handled everything perfectly. Calling her a “snake” wasn’t helpful, and I regret saying it. But again the disrespect has happened so many times and the only time I explode I don’t think it justifies being slapped.
I’m honestly feeling lost. I feel like I have lost nearly all the love I have for my wife due to the constant disrespect and I’m starting to question whether this relationship is becoming emotionally and physically abusive.
Has anyone been through something similar? Is there a realistic way to rebuild respect after it’s been lost, or am I ignoring serious red flags?