Part 1Severed Ties: No Looking Back

Ethan and I had been married for five years. We got along well, respectful, like we were always on the same page.

But then, in an interview, he dropped this bomb with a regretful look: "In the end, I couldn't marry the person I truly loved."

That's when it hit me. The happy marriage I thought I had? It was all just a joke.

* * *

"So, Ethan, are you married?"

On the screen, the interviewer had that gossipy glint in her eye.

Ethan went quiet for a beat, then gave a small, sad smile. "The person I wanted to marry... well, she married someone else."

The implication was clear: If the woman he wanted was with someone else, what was the point of him being married?

I stared at the TV playing in the shop window, feeling completely lost.

Then what was I?

I caught my reflection in the glass and just went silent.

The face staring back was pale, tired-looking, the picture of a worn-out stay-at-home mom with no spark left.

I was stunned. Was that really me?

I remembered how I looked five years ago when Ethan proposed.

Confident, energetic, always laughing, full of life.

Nothing like the drained woman I saw now.

I still used a photo from his proposal as my phone background, a reminder of that supposedly perfect moment.

In the picture, we looked great together – handsome guy, pretty girl, the ideal couple.

Now, Ethan was still thriving, maybe even more so. Success had given him this air of command.

And me? I gave a bitter laugh. Just another woman who’d let herself go.