I'm a contractor and one of my client has grown considerably and shifted their attitude towards me from "external expert who helps us in their field of expertis

I'm a contractor and one of my client has grown considerably and shifted their attitude towards me from "external expert who helps us in their field of expertise" to "employee with fewer protections" over the years and this is very much true. Previously I'd tell them I need to raise my rate for one reason or another but I'd also temporarily reduce it when they were struggling with the market during COVID or suspend raising it. When I finally told them I needed to raise it because of inflation and nothing else, they kept hiding behind their own bureaucracy and eventually insisted on finalizing the adjusted contract as part of a round of "pay raises" in the company. I wasn't "asking for a raise", I was informing them of a change in my rate. And it wouldn't have been a raise anyway as it literally barely covered the rise in inflation. When HR eventually sent me the updated contract it felt like they expected me to make a happy dance or something.