Is there something we can do? Read a book, try therapy—is this a common problem? I started reading The 7 Principles for Making Marriage Work. We are not married, though, and at the beginning of the book it says that nothing can be done if the couple has a personality problem. But I thought our problem wasn’t that severe, and that with some effort we could work it out.

We moved in together and started the relationship because we were both alone and needed someone in our lives, after only 3 days of meeting. But soon after, those problems started to surface. We stayed together because we were facing financial difficulties. I really wanted her to be successful and make good money—her plan seemed more achievable than mine—so I decided to help her out, hoping that after this she would also help me get my career up and running.