In a viral Reddit post published on r/AmITheA**hole, Redditor u/aitacoffeepurchase (otherwise referred to as the original poster, or OP) said they started buying better coffee to brew at home but were repeatedly chastised for it by their wife, to the point where they couldn’t help but snap back.

Titled, “[Am I the a**hole] for telling my wife I’ll purchase the coffee I want, because I’m the one with a job?” the post has received more than 8,200 upvotes and 1,500 comments in the last 10 hours.

“I’ve lately come to enjoy some nicer coffee than I usually drank,” OP began. “[But] we’re not talking daily $7 drinks or anything.”

Continuing to explain that they are spending roughly $12 per week on coffee, the original poster assured they have greatly enjoyed the upgrade from a less-expensive roast, but said their wife has taken issue with the extra money spent.

OP said their wife doesn’t currently have a job, and that they have been forced to pick up a lot of slack around the house and with the bank account.

“This has been going on for 6 months for the household, years for the job,” OP wrote. “I try my best to do what I can, but often times I have to ask her multiple times to help with even simple tasks.

“I make plenty to be able to have my coffee be a splurge,” OP continued. “I brought home another bag the other day, and she made a comment along the lines of ‘You’re spending way too much on this fancy coffee.’

“I snapped [saying] ‘The one with the job gets to make the grocery choices. Work again or contribute…and you can have a say in what we buy,’” OP added. “She called me a cold-hearted a**hole and stormed out of the room.”

Money is a hot-button issue for many married couples.

In fact, money is the number-one thing that married couples argue over and according to Insider, nearly 40 percent of divorced couples cite financial issues as a major contributor to their separation.

“Money problems ‘contribute to increased stress and tension within the relationship,’” Insider reporter Gabbi Shaw wrote in 2019.

However, where opposing attitudes toward money, credit card debt and significant impulse purchases are three of the biggest points of financial contention, arguments over the cost of coffee are likely an indicator of something else entirely.

On multiple occasions, OP wrote that their wife spends a majority of the time inside their home, seemingly unable and unwilling to make even the slightest effort to help out with housework, or to have fun in general.

OP also wrote that their wife is being treated for depression—sparking many Redditors commenting on the viral post to speculate that the couple’s coffee spat was not actually about the coffee at all.

“This has absolutely nothing to do with coffee,” Redditor u/Fattdog64 wrote in the post’s top comment, which has received nearly 17,000 upvotes.

“I suffer from severe depression and anxiety. The more I sit and do nothing, the worse it gets,” they continued. “Time for her to find another therapist and develop a real plan for getting back to participating in life.”

“Coffee is not your problem,” Redditor u/limblessbarbie echoed, receiving more than 5,000 upvotes. “But you know this.”

Redditor u/OnceUponAMidnte, whose comment has received more than 2,000 upvotes, offered a similar response, but said that the original poster could have handled the situation differently.

“[Not the a**hole] but I do feel there may be more than the coffee issue going on for the response you gave,” they wrote. “Definitely better ways to talk about it.”

“Apologise for the words you used,” Redditor u/DenizenKay advised, receiving more than 1,100 upvotes. “But if you’re really at your wits end in terms of resentment, don’t apologise for the sentiment.”

“Something has to give here,” Redditor u/SlinkyMalinky20 chimed in. “I hate to see one side drowning no matter how hard they work and try.”

Newsweek reached out to u/aitacoffeepurchase for comment.