11:42 PM
I didn't think it was that bad.
I knew they'd been arguing more lately.
I knew she sounded tired sometimes.
I knew he overreacted to small things.
But breaking up?
She said it quietly.
Like she didn't even want the words to exist.
"I've thought about it."
Not dramatically.
Just… exhausted.
That's what made me pause.
I always thought they were solid.
The kind of couple that had already survived the hard part.
Ten years older than me.
Grown.
Stable.
Meant to be.
I guess I assumed once you reached a certain age, you figured it out.
Apparently not.
She didn't insult him or made him seem toxic.
She said she felt like a caretaker.
That word stuck with me.
Caretaker.
Not partner.
Not equal.
Caretaker.
He panicked when she told him. I could hear it in his voice later.
The reassurance-seeking.
The "Do you still love me?"
The fear.
I understand fear.
But something about it felt uneven.
If two people who look that in sync from the outside can fracture quietly like this…
then what actually keeps something steady?
I always thought I'd be good at relationships.
I listen.
I notice things.
I try to regulate before reacting.
But maybe that's not enough.
Maybe stability isn't about loving someone deeply.
Maybe it's about being able to stand on your own feet while loving them.
I don't think he's a bad person.
I just don't think he realized how heavy she's been carrying him.
And if she's considering breaking up…
I think she's closer to breaking than he realizes.