“I had surprised my family with it. My husband told me he loved what I’d done to myself, but what he didn’t tell me was that he was having an affair. I often wonder what he must’ve felt when he saw his name on my wrist and knew he was lying.”
‘Since my divorce, I’ve seen a plastic surgeon every month. Not for Botox. I had to face what I’d done with every shower, every decision to wear short sleeves or a bathing suit.’
‘The intensity of our fights made me think he loved me. We’d break up, get back together. I was addicted to chaos. When he returned from Iraq, he said, ‘Bad news. You’re both going to jail.’
“I saw his eyes change and I knew I was in trouble. My jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. We figured once we moved, our problem wouldn’t follow us. Turns out, wherever you go, your problems follow you!”
‘I found YEARS of mail in his trunk. My husband was living a double life and had another daughter! He abandoned us in a Target parking lot and changed the locks to our home.’
“He was a con-artist living a double life. All of our belongings were thrown out like trash. My daughter and I tried to make the best of our ‘vacation’ as I called it, while I cried and washed clothes in a hotel sink. I thought to myself, ‘How could I be so dumb?'”
‘Leah, this is your hell, but we’ve got to walk through it.’ Becoming a single mother was an adjustment I never anticipated. Our romantic relationship ended, but it served a mighty purpose.’
“It didn’t work out. He wasn’t mine to keep, but I finally realized what our relationship was meant for. I thank my daughter’s father for giving me the greatest gift I could ever know.”
‘Your husband has been unfaithful to you,’ I was informed. ‘This marriage was a mistake,’ I told my husband. Weeks later, I found out I was pregnant. My fairy tale turned into a nightmare.’
“I received the most devastating blow to what I thought was a ‘perfect’ marriage. I felt divorce was the only option. In tears, I called my mom. ‘Come home, Avrielle,’ she said.”
‘After 22 years of marriage, I found myself headed to a divorce court. When I walked into Kmart, my life forever changed. ‘I would ask you out if you weren’t wearing that wedding ring,’ he said.’
“I had to act swiftly. I ripped a price tag off from an item of clothing and rushed to grab a pen from an empty register. He was headed for the exit. ‘Today is the first day of my life,’ I said.”
‘I was young when I met my husband. Much younger than I should have been, given his older age. His steady job, quiet apartment, and vows of unconditional love lured me in.’
“I heard him say the words, ‘I’m going to get you out of this.’ I don’t know why I believed him, but I showed up to his office the very next week. My life has never been the same since.”
