Part 1The Illusion of Love: Waking Up from a Five-Year Dream

After my husband's first love returned, I saw his answer to a question on Reddit: "What is it like to marry someone you don't love?"

He wrote that he didn't love his wife. Even though she gave him her whole heart and took perfect care of their home, his mind was still constantly on his ex-girlfriend.

He knew it wasn't right, but he couldn't help it.

Someone in the comments asked: "You didn't even use a throwaway account. Aren't you afraid your wife will see this and divorce you?"

He replied: "No, she can't live without me."

What he didn't expect was that the very next day, I left the divorce papers on his nightstand and quietly walked out of his life.

* * *

After Sarah Davis came back, I discovered Liam's answer on Reddit.

What is it like to marry someone you don't love?

He didn't use a throwaway account, and his profile picture was still a photo of Sarah's back.

"I guess it feels like life is just a pool of stagnant water."

"I don't love my wife. After my first love and I broke up, my family pressured me to get married quickly. I was heartbroken then, and I felt like as long as it wasn't her, marrying anyone else would be exactly the same."

"It just so happened that my wife had always liked me. We'd known each other for a long time, we knew each other's backgrounds well, so I proposed to her."

"I still remember how she cried tears of joy that day, constantly asking me if she was dreaming. Honestly, I felt pretty guilty. All these years, she's been completely devoted to me, taking perfect care of everything at home, big or small."

My fingers trembled slightly as I continued to scroll down.

He wrote: "But I don't love her. All these years, I've always had my first love in my heart."

"I know it makes me a jerk, and I've tried to love her, but I really just can't."

Someone commented below: "You didn't even use a throwaway. Aren't you afraid your wife will see this and divorce you?"

His tone was as confident as ever:

"She won't. She can't live without me."

It felt like a thorn that had been buried in my heart for years. Its sharp edges had been worn smooth by my own flesh and blood, so it didn't pierce me with that sharp, stabbing pain like it used to.

But there was still a constant, dull ache that I couldn't ignore.

I let out a bitter laugh.

Look how well he knows me.

Even at this point, he knew I couldn't live without him.