Lying About My Commute Time

So there's this thing about my commute I've been lying about for months now. I'm a software engineer at a tech company, married to Sarah, and we live in San Francisco with two cats, Max and Luna. The job is great, but the hours are long and the city can be relentless. Here's the background: ever since my wife got a new promotion at her law firm and started working from home full-time due to some recent pandemic shifts, I've been feeling like I need to step up as well. So I started taking longer on public transit, not because it takes me longer but because it gives me time to read papers for work or catch up on podcasts. The lie began innocently enough; I told Sarah my commute was getting harder with more people back in the city after the easing of restrictions. She asked if she could help pick me up from BART sometimes, but I really enjoy that quiet reading time and felt bad asking her to make this sacrifice for me. So here's what actually happens: every morning, after taking a train to Embarcadero station and walking from there, I wait outside my office building with some extra minutes built in. That gives me enough wiggle room if traffic is really bad or the BART schedule has changed unexpectedly. And then I tell her over text or on calls that traffic was terrible today or trains were delayed. I've never actually had an issue where the lie was necessary to avoid missing work. But here's my point: as of last month, after being consistent about the lies for three months straight, Sarah asked me if everything is okay at the office because I seem so stressed over my commute and I'm arriving home exhausted more often lately. I'm proud of myself in a way that probably isn't healthy. I've managed to maintain this lie for so long without consequences, well, besides the nagging feeling of guilt every now and then, and it feels like a personal victory. But there's also an honesty with Sarah that I feel is slipping away, which is what has me writing here today. I think maybe it's time I own up to my little fibs and tell her exactly how long my commute actually takes. I want to be the type of person who doesn't have to hide these small details from someone as important as my spouse.