inconvenient.
But the most painful lesson was the one I learned slowly.
I discovered that a person could be physically present in a marriage while emotionally withdrawing from it.
Daniel still slept in our bed.
He still attended family gatherings.
He still signed birthday cards and remembered to pay the mortgage.
From the outside, we looked like a couple who had built a stable life together.
Inside our home, however, I increasingly felt as though I was living beside someone who considered me a responsibility rather than a partner.
And
