It seemed like an innocent habit at first… But my husband's compulsion is now tearing us apart
Marla Rodriguez and her husband, Mick, first got together when they were in their early 20s.
She quickly noticed a quirk about her life partner that she initially dismissed - and had no idea it would end up tearing their marriage apart.
Mick would often cheat when they played board or card games. He'd volunteer to be scorekeeper and 'accidentally miscalculate' her total so that it was lower than his.
Or he'd use the bathroom in the middle of playing Scrabble and suddenly come up with an 'amazing word,' which she suspected he found on Google.
While it bothered her, Rodriguez initially brushed it off as nothing more than an innocent habit and assumed he'd grow out of the behavior as he matured.
But she was wrong.
In fact, what was seemingly a harmless obsession with winning has since evolved into something much more serious.
And now, Rodriguez, 42, from Berkeley, California, wishes she never turned a blind eye to his odd behavior during games because she believes it was actually the first sign of his 'narcissistic tendencies.'
Marla Rodriguez noticed that her husband, Mick, would sometimes cheat when they would play board or card games early on in their relationship (stock image)
Rodriguez said Mick even cheats when he plays with their children, ages five and 12, explaining that it 'ruins the fun' and makes the youngsters feel bad about themselves (stock image)
Rodriguez theorized to the Daily Mail that his cheating habit stems from pressure that was put on him by his mother to succeed from a young age.
'His mother is very controlling and I get the feeling that love was only shown to him when he behaved exactly as required,' she said.
She explained that his entire family takes winning very seriously, adding: 'I think they believe they are worthless if they don't win.
'They are a group of people who believe in winning at all costs.'
Rodriguez said Mick even cheats when he plays games with their children, ages five and 12, explaining that it 'ruins the fun' and makes the youngsters feel bad about themselves at times.
But what's worse is that the habit has evolved into something much more in recent years.
Rodriguez explained that what started with him lying to get ahead in games has now turned into him lying about other things.
'He will tell crazy lies to get out of things,' she said. 'For example, one time he left the dog outside overnight (it was summer, luckily) and in the morning I got up first and let the dog in and asked him about it.
What was seemingly an harmless obsession with winning has since evolved into something much more serious as it has now ruined their trust (stock image)
'He said he had heard me get up in the morning, walk down the stairs, let the dog out and then go back to sleep. He lies about things for no reason, and often.'
She said that while he was 'loving and genuine' at the start of their relationship, she now feels like he has become 'emotionally cruel and manipulative' through his constant 'denial of any wrongdoing.'
'Unless he is caught absolutely red-handed there is always a vicious denial,' she added.
And she even recently caught him trying to shoplift, adding that it feels like 'there is no trust' between them anymore.
But despite Mick's problems, Rodriguez said she doesn't plan to leave her husband because she still believes he can change.
'Part of me hopes somehow he will redeem himself,' she concluded.
'I chalk it up to having no sense of self-worth and not understanding that being wrong sometimes doesn't mean you are useless.'
