“Therapy was helpful, if only to be reminded that you can’t force someone else to change. Sometimes, to get the result you need, you’ll need to change the situation (for example, by leaving).”

"She loves me, offers me advice, takes care of me when I'm sick, spends her time with me, has a child with me, likes the same things as me, tolerates my bad jokes, and even laughs at them sometimes. This woman has invested a significant part of her life with me, not anybody else. Over the years, we've grown and changed together, and we know everything about each other. That's a lot to throw away. Yes, we have stretches where we fight a lot, but we work through it, and things always work out. I hate to be trite, but a relationship is like a garden; you have to work and nurture it for it to be awesome."

"He's married now, and I've been single ever since. I've grown as a person, mostly because I've had to. I've traveled the world on my own, joined the Navy reserves (something he wouldn't have approved of), and I'm living my life the way I want to. It feels so good to be able to do what I want, when I want, without someone holding me back. It's also been hard. So, so hard. Loneliness leads me to make some bad decisions sometimes, and I pick the wrong people to date often, but I'm getting better. I've got a circle of friends, none of whom knew me when I was in my relationship, and on the whole, it's a pretty calm, peaceful life I have."

Note: Responses have been edited for length/clarity.