I had an arranged marriage three years ago with someone three years younger than me. Initially, things started well. However, before the wedding, she called to say she wasn’t interested in marriage. I informed my parents, thinking she might be nervous since she was pursuing her master’s degree. Later, she reassured me that she wanted to marry and asked me to forget what she had said before. We got married a month later, and the first month of our life together went smoothly.
Soon, she began insisting on having a baby right away. I hesitated and asked for a year to understand each other better, but she refused and complained to my parents. One day, I saw a text from her friend suggesting that having a baby would allow her to stay at her mother’s house for 1.5 years. When I confronted her, I explained that life isn’t about having a child just for that reason. Despite this, I never restricted her visits to her mother’s house and allowed her to go whenever she wanted. She started visiting her parents every weekend, and later, she found reasons to stay there longer.
Over time, our relationship grew strained, and we had frequent fights. After six months, we finally sat down, talked, and decided to plan for a baby. Six months later, she became pregnant and moved to her parents’ house for a year. During that time, she rarely called or texted me. I tried reaching out to her daily, but she was distant. Eventually, I stopped trying as it felt exhausting. Even during her medical checkups, she refused to meet me. I felt like I was living a meaningless life.
After our baby was born, we decided to live separately from both our families. I rented a house and set everything up, and I noticed some positive changes in her. However, four months later, while watching a movie on her phone, a message from her friend popped up saying, “I’m staying with him only because of the baby; otherwise, I would have divorced him long ago.” I never confronted her about this message.
Instead, I convinced myself to do my best for her and our daughter. Due to financial constraints and career growth, I moved abroad for work, but I deeply miss my daughter every day. It has been almost a year since I moved abroad, and I still haven’t received a text or call from her. I continue to call to see my daughter and support her financially, but I feel stuck in life.
What should I do next? I feel stuck and emotionally disconnected.