The thing with relationships is, everyone has one or two things that are completely unacceptable, even in marriage.  For some it might be habitually lying or yelling (disrespect).  For others, being home when you say you will be consistently might be a huge issue.  Some can’t live with a partner that can’t keep their finances straight.  Whatever the “can’t have” item(s) is, you have to honor it/them or face the unintended consequences of non-compliance.

Unintended consequences might include less time together, less intimacy, or more heated arguments…but the worst is callousness and the eventual emotional withdrawal from the relationship.

I am not excusing the person that emotionally withdraws by any means because I do believe marriage is forever, however, part of forever has to include honoring the other person with your respect by doing the things that makes them most feel loved by you and to also avoid the things that tears at the fabric of it.  You can’t expect a person to give you undying love and affection if and when they have clearly conveyed to you the things that make them feel unloved and you continue to do them anyway?

The fissure in many relationships begins, not by one or two acts of defiance, but many over time that one either learns to reluctantly accept or (equally) worse, logs into a relationship “stamp” book that when full, means the end.