The challenge wasn't holding back the tears that threatened to spill or resisting the urge to simply get up and leave the room. Surprisingly, sitting there with a fixed smile, staring at a TV screen spewing content that could lower anyone's IQ, was easy.

All she wanted was his opinion. He was a smart man—one didn't climb to his position without intelligence, hard work, and street smarts. He was the one who had explained why working from the office mattered long before content creators had found the topic. Lunch was done, and they were all gathered around the TV. Banter and conversation flowed effortlessly, as it often did, when the question formed in her mind.

She didn't expect him to agree with her; after all, she was just a housewife, and he was a Senior VP in a multinational corporation. But she hoped he would expand her thinking, help her see the issue from a different perspective. She loved talking to people she considered more accomplished and, by virtue of their experiences, more knowledgeable than her. These conversations, no matter the direction they took, always left her feeling enriched, like she'd gained a new lens through which to view the world.

What she didn't expect was to be shut down so quickly—or so brutally. He didn't even let her finish. The irritation in his voice, the stern expression on his face, and the way his back stiffened as he continued to stare at the TV, refusing to meet her gaze, said it all. His body language screamed louder than words: "You and your ideas are stupid. Don't waste my time."

She had been put back in her place—reminded of her unspoken role as the younger sister, the wife, the mother. A person who was meant to fade into the background. A person who, if not literally barefoot and chained to the stove in the kitchen, certainly existed that way in the minds of those around her. Accepting that truth wasn't easy, but it was a fact of life for her.

What was impossible, though, was the realization that, while he might return her love and care for her in his own way, he did not respect her.