My (F31) husband (M38) wants to accept a job in a different country and live separately. Can a marriage survive this?
I’ve been with my husband for 8 years (4 married). He has been offered a new position that he wants to accept, but it means that we’ll be in separate hemispheres with me (F,31) in Australia and him (M,38) in Germany. We’ll be apart for 16 months and will probably be able to see each other 2-3 times for a couple of weeks each during that time. I can’t go with him because of my job here and because we have a dog who I don’t want to risk traumatising with international travel.
Other relevant info- he does have some close family in Europe so would get to see them. This role would not be a career advancement or more money than his current role but some of the guys he started his career with have been given the same opportunity and he wants to go with them.
My question is- am I naïve to believe that he could be faithful for this length of time or to believe that he really loves me? Is it a red flag that he would choose this time apart? He has a good job here and could also take the same job on a shorter contact (he is looking to specifically choose the longer one), so it’s not like there are no options.
Or, if you have been in this situation before, did it work out ok?
TLDR my husband wants to live apart for 16 months for an overseas job. Can a marriage survive this?