Struggling with dishonesty in marriage - need some advice from a fellow Muslim
Assalamu alaikum everyone. Been married for about five years now, and we have a little one who's two. Honestly, things have been really tough lately, and I'm hoping to get some guidance from an Islamic point of view. My husband has this habit of not being truthful, and we're not talking about little white lies. It's serious stuff that really impacts our family. A while back, he told me he was taking care of our bills, but it turned out he hadn't been paying them for nearly a year. We ended up losing our housing deposit because of it. I was eight months pregnant and not feeling great at the time, and I only found out when I finally called the landlord myself. There was another time he lost his job. He let me believe it was because the company was having money troubles, but I later heard from someone else that it was actually because of his work performance. This keeps happening-he hides things, gets rid of messages or emails, and I usually find out the real story from other people. Just recently, he wasn't honest on a housing application, and we lost a chance at a place to live, even though I've been doing everything I can to help our situation. The emotional side of things has been hard too. After I had a miscarriage, when I was really struggling, I found out he was saying negative things about me to other people. When I was pregnant with our son, he decided to go overseas for a month without really talking it through with me first. He missed an important ultrasound appointment, so I had to go through that alone, which was especially difficult after what we'd been through. The confusing part is that to everyone else, he seems like a really good husband. And sometimes, he is-he helps out around the house and takes care of practical things. But when it's just us, I often feel alone and like I can't really trust him emotionally. When I get upset, he says he's sorry, but it doesn't feel like he truly understands how much it hurts or tries to make it better. To give him credit, he does admit he has a problem with lying and says he wants to stop. He's even started getting some help for it recently. But after years of this, my own peace of mind has really suffered. I'm anxious a lot, always worrying about what might happen next, and I don't feel that sense of tranquility in our marriage anymore. I'm just not sure if things can be fixed at this point, or if it's gone too far. What does Islam say about a situation like this? Is this something I should be patient through while he tries to change, or is it okay for me to think about stepping back to protect my own well-being? What are my rights here? Jazakum Allahu khayran.