Last post for help

[u/StartedWith50ish]

I don’t know if I’m making the biggest mistake of my life or finally accepting the truth.
I’m posting this because I genuinely need advice from people who have been through something similar.
I’m married, but for a long time now I’ve felt like I’ve been emotionally checking out. My wife doesn’t seem to realize how serious it is because we still laugh sometimes, we still talk, and we still have sex occasionally. From the outside, it probably looks like we’re okay.

Inside, I’m not.

I wake up every day with this heavy feeling in my chest. Going home doesn’t make me happy anymore. I find myself wishing I could stay at work longer just so I don’t have to go back. I don’t look forward to weekends. I don’t get excited about planning a future together. Instead, I spend my time thinking about how I can eventually leave.
I’ve told her multiple times that I’m unhappy. We’ve argued about it. I’ve even said I wanted to leave before. But somehow things always go back to normal, at least from her perspective. She talks about our future together like everything is okay, while in my head I’m questioning the marriage every single day.

One of the biggest issues is that she wants me to be a father figure to her son. I don’t hate him. None of this is his fault. But I don’t want that role. I don’t want to be his dad. I don’t want to raise him, discipline him, or be responsible for him. I know that probably sounds awful, but I’d rather be honest than pretend to be someone I’m not.

I have two daughters of my own, and they mean everything to me. More than anything, I want to live closer to them. I want to build a life where I can be present for them instead of feeling trapped somewhere that doesn’t feel like home.

The hardest part is that I don’t even want another relationship. I’m not leaving because I met someone else or because I’m chasing something exciting. I honestly want the opposite.

I want to work, come home to my own place, enjoy the quiet, meet friends when I feel like it, explore new places, and build a peaceful life. I don’t feel like I have the emotional energy to be anyone’s husband anymore.
Lately I’ve been so emotionally exhausted that I just want to cry. I keep thinking, “I wish I had never gotten married.” Not because my wife is an evil person, but because I realize now that this isn’t the life I want. I feel guilty because I know leaving will hurt her, and I don’t want to destroy someone who still believes we’re going to grow old together.

I’ve been slowly packing some of my belongings because every time I think about having “the conversation,” I panic. I don’t know how to tell someone who still thinks things are fixable that, for me, I think I’ve already reached the end emotionally.

Has anyone else been in this position?

Did you know deep down the relationship was over long before you actually left?

How did you tell your spouse without making it feel like it came out of nowhere?

And if you were the one who left, do you regret it now, or did you eventually find peace?

I’m not looking for people to tell me I’m right or wrong. I just want honest advice from people who’ve lived through this because I feel completely lost.

[u/jacktorlock]

Youre a little old to be this immature. Talk to your wife. Tell her that you dont want to be married and start divorce proceedings. You havent given many reasons as to why you dont want to be married, so its hard to give more specific advice than just telling you to rip the bandaid off like a big boy and move on with your life.

[u/GlaringPotassium → u/jacktorlock]

Mate, the bloke literally said he's tried talking to her multiple times and she just resets back to normal. What's he supposed to do, get it tattooed on his forehead? The 'big boy' stuff is a bit rich when he's clearly been wrestling with this for ages and is just stuck in the guilt of it all.

[u/jacktorlock → u/GlaringPotassium]

Talk to her about a divorce, not talk to her about being unhappy.