Letting Go
It hit me like a bolt from the blue when my wife announced she wanted a divorce and had already spoken to a lawyer. When I came to my senses from the shock, all I could say was "okay," then I stood up and left home. I could see she was surprised and she immediately called me, but from then on, I handled all communication strictly through my lawyer. I felt that someone who spends eight years with me and isn't even willing to signal if there's a problem and doesn't give a chance, I won't interrogate about what happened. We haven't spoken since to this day.
Effort
I told my husband we should go to couples therapy, but he refused. I bought sexy lingerie, sexual aids, but he wasn't interested. I organized a surprise trip to the Maldives, but he didn't enjoy it. When I felt I had done everything for my marriage, I agreed to the divorce.
Chance
At first, I was devastated about what would happen to me, then I told him thank you for the chance to find happiness again with someone else.
Without Argument
I didn't argue because I knew we belonged together. I agreed and we divorced, then he came back to me as I predicted. That was ten years ago and we have been happy together since, but we haven't remarried.
Interest
My company went bankrupt, the bank took the big apartment, I had to replace the expensive car with a clunker and liquidate everything I had to somehow stay afloat. My wife then announced that this wouldn't work for her and she wanted a divorce. I would have liked to cry, but I didn't hold her back. I felt that our relationship had no meaning anyway if she leaves me when I'm at my lowest. I fought my way back to the financial level I was at in three years, and she has been living alone in a small rented apartment since then and occasionally texts me to start over.
20 Years
We were going through a difficult period in our marriage, but during the twenty years together, we had such times before and always managed to fix things, so I wasn't worried. Then I found out I had cancer and that was too much for my husband. He said, "I'm sorry, but understand that I'm not emotionally in a state to even care for you," so we divorced. It was a terrible time; I thought I wouldn't survive, but my friends kept my spirits up. Then three months later, my ex-husband called to apologize, saying he was crazy and wanted me back. I told him I wasn't in a state to nurse his soul and hung up. I recovered and for two years now, I've been with a man I can always count on.
Hope
I told my wife that now that she divorced me, I hope she finds with someone else what she felt was missing in her life with me. Since then, she has married and divorced twice, so apparently she is still searching.
The Ground
When my husband announced he wanted a divorce, I felt like the ground was pulled out from under me. I had been at home with the three kids for many years and had no idea what to do next. I requested shared custody because otherwise I wouldn't have had a chance to find a job, and I knew my ex-husband would have been content with weekend dad duties, but the kids adore him and I didn't want it to be that easy for him. I managed to find a job where I enjoy the work and am successful; it became my new passion. It did wonders for my self-esteem to hold my own, and for my soul to be among people again and not just focused on raising children at home. I'm dating again, have new friends, enjoy life, so I'm actually grateful it turned out this way.
Broken
My wife said she has no one but doesn't love me anymore. That was four years ago, but I still haven't gotten over the divorce. As far as I know, there hasn't been another man in her life since, but she still doesn't want to be with me. She is the love of my life; I don't know where I went wrong.
The New Side
When my husband announced after 18 years that he had been having an affair with a woman much younger than me for a year and that we were divorcing, I cried for two weeks straight. Then I pulled myself together and took up the fight. I felt that if I had put everything into this marriage that he was now throwing away, I wouldn't step aside without a fight. I hired the fiercest lawyer and fought tooth and nail for everything. It was a tough time, but I came out well from the divorce, while his romance was affected so much by this period that they broke up.
