​I lost feelings for my wife after her daughter moved in

I am 35, married, and have a young daughter who gives my life happiness and purpose.

When I met my current wife, I broke a promise to wait for my then ex-girlfriend, who had gone abroad for graduate studies three months earlier. I married my wife despite knowing she had an eight-year-old daughter and had been divorced for four years. I ignored warnings from family and friends.

We held our wedding after nearly a year of dating. Life together brought unexpected challenges. She cared for the family and our child while I focused on work. She often handled chores when I was tired. She is a modern woman who is devoted to her family.

Children from previous marriages can cause disagreements. Photo by Pexels

But I struggle with an unshakable sadness. She always wanted her daughter (from her previous marriage) to live with us. I stayed silent whenever she mentioned it, and she assumed I agreed. One day she told me, "My daughter will be living with us very soon. You should prepare yourself."

I cannot claim to be better than other men. When my stepdaughter moved in, I tried to accept the situation for my wife and the child's happiness. Over time, this discomfort grew and affected our relationship. After six to seven months, I could no longer be intimate with my wife. The ordinary feelings of closeness and desire between us vanished.

I want my child to have a happy life and a complete family, but our relationship is no longer the same. If my wife treated me more like a friend, I might have accepted living together for our child. I cannot tell her "I don’t love you anymore" because I fear losing the family and affecting our daughter’s development. Continuing to live this way may cause further harm to us all. I hope readers can offer advice on how to handle this situation.