and a Different Kind of Beginning
Several months later, Eliam and I were still together.
We continued counseling, and we learned to discuss difficult decisions before they became emergencies. Our financial arrangements were clearer, and we agreed that helping relatives would always require an honest conversation between us.
The changes were not dramatic.
There was no grand romantic gesture that erased the pain. No expensive vacation that magically restored my confidence. No single apology that made me forget the week I spent wondering where my husband had been.
Instead, there
