Couple Stories

I have been married to my husband for almost 20 years. We have kids together and have been relatively happy together- just the normal issues! I recently dropped some weight and strangely enough have started feeling insecure- which never have felt in all the years in our marriage. I just all the sudden had a sick/ empty pit in my stomach that something wasn’t right. So I started noticing things. He went to lunch with an attractive co- worker- which I was upset about and he thought it was funny. Then I noticed him being on his phone ALL the time and taking it everywhere with him. And a few nights while I was in bed I swear I saw him looking at girls online. I confronted him about it and he said it was TikTok and it was not anything. I swear I saw nudity. And so a few nights later I swear I saw him looking at girls again, and again he said I was crazy. He even gave me his phone (for a short time). But he is very good at lying and hiding things. I know what I saw. And now he will be on his phone and when I come near him I can tell he is switching out of what app or website he is on. I told him I think he has some other secret life on his phone and he just tells me I have lost it. And since then he has been disconnected, mean, ignoring me a lot of times and picking fights. So now I don’t know what to do. And then he will randomly be nice one day and buy me things. Its so up and down and before I brought anything up it was mostly all great days!

I can’t look through his phone-it’s literally always with him and he is too good at hiding things anyway. So I have no “physical “ proof “ but I just know he is being shady. I don’t want to end a 20 year marriage over this , but I don’t want to continue like this either. I feel like now that I have outed him -he has pushed me away, so who knows how long this has actually been happening and I was just naive! I don’t know what to do. Part of me wants to keep looking for proof- which is literally causing so much anxiety. And part of me just wants to ignore this and make it go away and go back to how it was before.

OMG, I can’t believe I'm even writing this... So, we had this huge argument yesterday that was like about nothing. Literally, it was over which TV show to watch. 🤯 My boyfriend just blew up and got really aggressive (again!). He actually hit me: it's the second time now. WTF?! Like seriously, who does that? I'm just sitting there stunned and thinking 'is this really happening??' He's usually so sweet but when things don't go his way he flips out. It's hard because I care about him but man, I’m not gonna accept being treated like this anymore. Ugh, there's all these feelings swirling around but one thing is clear: I've got to do something about it.

Honestly y'all, I'm kinda scared and confused at the same time 😩 Trying to imagine a future without him feels bizarre; yet facing a reality where violence becomes a norm isn't an option either. And yeah my mom would say leave... but it's not straightforward...or maybe it is? Why does love have to be so complicated though? Cuz deep down somewhere in me there’s hope he'll change but also a fierce need for self-respect screaming 'get out while you still can!' 😡 Going between feeling mad at myself for trusting him initially then back to missing the good parts of our relationship... my brain is literally on a rollercoaster here! Seriously though (and most importantly) standing up for myself matters more than anything else; I deserve better ✌️

so, i'm 21 and kinda at a crossroads here? i’m a girl and have been in a relationship with my amazing girlfriend for a while now. we vibe so well together. recently, she brought up the idea of having a fun night with her best friend who happens to be a guy. the thing is that she was super clear about what she meant: it wasn't just going out for drinks! 😊 yeah, that's right, like having us three bringing some extra spark to our... umm adventures?! can you see my predicament?!?!

anyway, i've never ever considered myself interested in guys but when she proposed the idea... didn't hate it; it felt intriguing!!! idek if I would call it curiosity or something deeper but part of me was interested. maybe that makes me bi or maybe it's just situational attraction?! who knows!!! i’ve read so much stuff online like Kinsey scale and labels preaching freedom and acceptance and all but they're only partly relatable?

i chatted briefly about this with one of my closest friends who identifies as pansexual herself; she's always been super supportive no matter what topics we dived into (totally love her for that). although when i tried explaining how his presence might add another layer entirely new and exciting dimension... she's convinced i'm just exploring latent bisexuality or something.

am i overthinking this or could it mean something real about myself? on one hand.. branching out seems thrilling yet daunting; anyone else experience similar conflicting feelings???? because this whole dimension is uncharted territory loaded with possibilities excitement nervous anticipation:)

I [21F] am at a massive crossroads and need some outside perspective before I meet my ex-boyfriend [25M] tomorrow.

We live in a traditional Arabic/Muslim country where the timeline moving toward engagement and marriage happens fast. My ex holds very traditional views—specifically, he expects his partner to not have any guy friends. To be fair, in our culture, cutting off friends of the opposite sex is bound to happen eventually as things get serious anyway. My life doesn’t revolve around boys, so cutting them off isn't an impossible ask for me if I knew for a fact I was marrying the right, safe man. But I really struggle with the idea of losing genuinely good people in my life right now for the mere potential of what someone might be.

Our relationship definitely had friction. When he gets angry, he can say hurtful things, and he even brought our private arguments to my family, which really upset and hurt me. That said, he doesn’t have major anger issues overall, and I want to be honest and acknowledge where he was coming from culturally.

After we broke up, we went into total silence. The pain of the cutoff was too much for me to handle. I panicked, missed him deeply, and reached out to ask if we could meet tomorrow. He agreed.

Looking back, I realize I was emotionally unavailable at the start and didn’t put real effort into the relationship. I loved him—maybe not as much as he loved me, but I did care. I know what I want might be unrealistic and selfish because I just wasn’t ready for it to end, and it’s unfair to keep him hanging by a thread if I can't give him what he wants.

But since I’m the one who reached out, I am genuinely wondering if I can find it in myself to change, cut off the guy friends since it’s culturally expected anyway, and give him the real effort and commitment he deserves this time around.

Am I just bargaining because I’m terrified of this being our final goodbye and I'm not ready to let go? Or is it worth giving this another shot now that I recognize my own past emotional unavailability? How do I handle this face-to-face meeting tomorrow without making a mistake?

i mean, what am i missin' here? my girlfriend legit acts like she has this chip on her shoulder all the time and it's seriously buggin' me out; like 'hello?' i can't read minds ya know!!!??? every damn thing turns into a fight...it’s like walking on eggshells just askin' how her day was... isn't it my job to care though? I try to do nice things for her: cook dinner now and then (not gonna lie, i'm pretty good in the kitchen), help around the house, even gave her that lil surprise gift last month. it's not exactly roses or diamonds but hey, effort counts right?! yet she's always got this sour vibe as if i forgot our anniversary or something...and trust me (i didn't forget). she's so mad about something but what is it???? did i mess up big time without even realizing???

no lie, she's been dropping these hints that are about as clear as mud. sometimes she'll just snap over nothing and give me that silent treatment which (let's be real) is absolutely childish at times! tried talkin' to her about it once. guess what happened?? another fight!!! brilliant! seriously starting to think there's some hidden manual for understanding girlfriends and i've lost mine somewhere between Netflix marathons and pizza nights. quoting Shakespeare or whatever can only get you so far in romance, right?? man if there was like a 'how-to' guide for not pissing off your partner without knowing why you're doing it, i'd probably read that more diligently than any actual book from school days! who writes those anyway??!! but honestly speaking (ugh there i go giving speeches) if we're missing something major here...wouldn't she just tell me straight up instead of resorting to tantrums and cold shoulders?

i remember reading an article which stated that life is a series of choices, and i found it resonates with my situation. my husband and i have been married for twenty years; we share a home and family but our life isn't as picture-perfect as one might think. his aggressive behavior escalates at times, leading to physical confrontations that leave me emotionally and physically drained. unfortunately, our two children are witnesses to these distressing episodes, and i feel guilty that they must endure it too. i'm weighing whether this relationship can be salvaged or if it's best to separate for everyone's well-being.

i've sought professional assistance from various resources on domestic violence intervention strategies and conflict resolution techniques. while some methods have proven beneficial in mediating disputes temporarily or providing clarity on certain topics, there's still an underlying friction that seems insurmountable. the challenge here lies in evaluating the effectiveness of therapy sessions versus living separately without allowing resentments to fester further.

well-known psychologist once said: 'Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow'; which captures the essence of how deeply intertwined relationships impact personal growth both positively and negatively over time... The uncertainty surrounding whether such complexities should prompt immediate action remains prevalent but simultaneously overwhelms me considering potential ramifications upon everyone involved 🤔 My heart leans towards optimism hoping changes can transpire through continued communication yet realistic understanding necessitates acknowledgment when enough has been tried.

So I (16F) met a guy (19M) on codm and we talked and dated for maybe a week and we had planned for him to come up to Washington from Cali and he even booked an Airbnb near me. So it’s the 4th of July and he says “baby if you do end up letting me hit then I have a surprise for you” and I’m so confused so I ask him what it is and he says “Well I know how religious you are and sex is more of a marriage thing and what do you do before you get married? You get engaged so I baught you something” and I’m like oh like a promise ring? And he corrects me and says he already baught an engagement ring for me. I FULLY panicked. Soooo I blocked him because I lowkey thought if we met up then I honestly might’ve gotten kidnapped. Jump to last night at like midnight and I have been considering unblocking him for a few days now but I decide that was the time I guess. He automatically texts and we were trying to talk and I was trying to explain it from my pov and he told me how I fucked him over because he wasted 3k on the Airbnb and I promised I would never hurt him but I did(plus I got with him 3 months after he got cheated on by his girlfriend of 3 years) he ended up becoming very very depressed and was telling me how he wanted to kill himself and he had a gun right there and we still talked but all day today I have been trying to get him to not kill himself. He hates his life rn and a lot of it was because I ghosted him for 6 days. I left him and he’s too depressed to do literally anything like he won’t work and he keeps telling me that he’s crying and every time he tries to eat or drink water he throws up. Also because he wasted 3k in the Airbnb and he can’t even work because of how depressed I made him and now he has no money and has an eviction notice. All last night and all through I’ve either been trying to get him to not commit or I’m just trying to help him do literally anything. I can’t even get him to stand up and honestly I don’t even know why he’s still talking to me. When I blocked him I honestly didn’t realize it would affect him this much and I feel like such an insensitive piece of shit. I hope I’m helping by talking to him. He always responds to me and I fell asleep and he texted multiple times during my nap so I’m just glad he still wants to talk to me. I just still feel kinda useless because he isn’t doing any better I don’t think. What do I do now?

life keeps getting worse every day, my wife doesn't even notice how depressed and lonely i am in our marriage. it's ridiculous really. she goes to bed super late, scrolling through her phone like there's nothing better to do. tik tok videos, endless feeds of pointless content. yeah, and then she leaves the bed late too. when she's finally around, she's glued to that screen again! completely checked out from reality. never seems to have time for us or me anymore 🤦‍♂️

what's even the point? i've tried talking but it falls on deaf ears. no changes... just same old story every single day 😤 it's exhausting pretending everything's fine when everything is A MESS🤬 i'm stuck in a room with an emotionally absent ghost who's more interested in a digital world than with our lives 🤷‍♂️ i mean seriously? how did we end up here? used to be close, feel cared about.

now I wonder if she's even listening or cares at all?? everything I try seems useless🙄 i need connection... someone who actually pays attention to what’s happening right in front of them rather being lost in another dimension...

so I'm 26, and I've been trying to figure out how long it takes to get over a two-year relationship. it's been bugging me really bad lately. He was perfect for me, or at least I thought so, but then he just stopped loving me out of nowhere? It feels like I'm stuck in a loop of 'what ifs' and wondering if I'll ever feel that way again. Like, is there a specific timeline for this kind of stuff?!

people keep telling me time heals everything (ugh classic) but it's hard not to be skeptical when every morning still starts with the same ache in my chest. It's like even though months have passed since we broke up, his absence still hovers around like some annoying ghost. Wasn't expecting anything different today though, just another day waiting for something to change.

evenings are the worst because that's when all those memories hit hardest. we'll never walk in the park together again or laugh at silly jokes only we understood; it's kinda messed up how someone can go from being your whole world to just someone you used to know. feels like I'm carrying around this invisible weight all day long.

there's no handbook for heartbreak (unfortunately!) and maybe it’s dumb to think there should be one! But honestly, aren't emotions supposed to have an expiration date? How much longer am I meant to wallow before things don't feel so raw anymore? If anyone's got answers I'd love to hear... unless they're quoting "time will tell" again!

My best friend Leia, has a boyfriend in France, in other words we're in England and therefore they're online dating. I don't have a problem with online dating because I've done it before, but I don't like him. Not because he is French and in another country but because of him in general.

We were all friends, obviously they were dating and therefore it's different but me and him would play Minecraft. It was meant to be all 3 of us, but Leia was never in the mood simply because she was not in the phase.

Time skip, Valentine's day. They spend practically every day on call, calling till they sleep. Sleeping on call. Valentines was going to be the same. I wake up and find a message that it was Leia finally being on Minecraft! I have always wanted her to join ever since the world was made. I asked to join but I joined the world anyway, because I have technically been on the world longer than she has as a whole. I was told I was being "extremely rude" by her bf for simply joining.

Now thats a bit odd, yes its valentines day... But am I rude for simply being excited over my best friend that I know much longer than he does, bare in mind by 2 extra years of a sort simply from her being on a game that I wanted her to play all together for weeks? After simply 20 minutes. they left, he left minecraft on for me to carry on building, but thats it.

I did open up to this, with my other best friend, Sophia on call because... It wasn't personally that fair? just because its valentines I have been pushed away. Sophia asked her friends to see if it's okay also, one of them has a boyfriend themselves and they all said it's not okay. Therefore I message them both.

The hilarious bit. I was practically in the wrong from their point of view.

I brought it up, long argument short, I apologised for 'intruding' and just played with Sophia.

Another situation with them!

So, it was a random day, he asked me if I wanted to play minecraft at all that day, HE asked so I thought why not? it was 10am, I was busy, I told Sophia I couldn't call her today cause I had plans to call him. Now, throughout the day, I called with Sophia anyway but told her I had to leave at 4. Throughout the time, he has not left minecraft since 10. That was 6-7 (I'm not brain rotted, and it depends if you count 10am also) he has played practically none stop. On the dot, 4pm we planed to call. "Sorry im not in the mood anymore, maybe another day." Sorry? You're not in the mood because you played none stop, if you wanted to avoid that, log off especially if you know the time and what youre doing. I didn't hang up on Sophia thankfully. But what if I cancelled other plans just for this? not 10 minutes notice. Bang on the time of 4pm.

I texted Leia the problem, we went back and forth, she simply told me "talk to him on the group, I'm not involved" thanks.

On discord, on the group chat, I was texting him, back and forth, I now have another friend Ellie because I needed help knowing what to say and also to put in text (I tend to forget important information to involve so they help, + it was to help me know if im in the fault or not).

During this argument, he was not apologising for cancelling the game. He believed he was not in the wrong, He was also a year older than me and like I said before, immature. Therefore he was brainrotted. I despise him to this day for all of that. a year older than me and his girlfriend and he acts like this?

Anyway, it lasted long, to the point Leia steps in simply saying "this has gone on for too long, therefore I am going to point out the problems."

He gets 2 sentences of pointing out what I have said, he shouldn't have cancelled the idea last millisecond. She calls him "baby" I get thats his nickname, but you're babying him... No? And I get 2 paragraphs for 'dragging it on' and what I had done wrong.

Now I'm practically pissed, shes not on my side because I'm dragging the situation on valentines day in this predicament and now this? and she babied him cause thats a nickname. Thanks.

Moving on, it went back and forth. I told her I am not mad at her, she was panicking I was mad and furious at her, I pointed out numerous times I am not. I am mad at her boyfriend. Yet she has a panic attack and he begs me to be his friend still numerous times.

Did I know about the panic attack at the time? No. she never told me till a week later. So I thought he was being a creep, I still wouldn't of accepted his 'deal' to be friends (exactly how he worded it) because im not dealing with an immature boy who cannot say sorry when even his girlfriend knows he was in a wrong, 2 sentences or not.

I ended it by unfriending him and leaving the group. That is practically how it all went down.

I hate how she picked his side, couple or not, I know her more by an extra 2 years. and im not online. So if it all went downhill, I am closest and also her parents dont know him and also against online friends. Make it make sense...!

So, I've been feeling REALLY trapped lately. I'm 48, in a relationship with my girlfriend for what feels like forever; we're not married, no kids or anything, just two people co-existing under the same roof (I own the house). The thing is, she’s been in burnout for a long time now and honestly... I don't think she's capable of living alone at this point.

Don't get me wrong, she's great in so many ways but it feels like I'm doing all the work literally and figuratively. I commute a lot because my job is far away; spending hours stuck in traffic each day just to provide for us... It's taking its toll. But here I am every day grinding my way to maintain this life we've built together when it doesn't even feel like mine anymore?

I'm not sure if this makes me an awful person but I don't love her like before. That spark has faded away over time which leaves me wondering why stay? But thinking about leaving and seeing her struggle tears me apart; am I supposed to just abandon ship when things get tough? Is it even possible to find happiness again without crushing hers?

There's no manual on how these things should work out... Sure some would say communicate more or whatever – easier said than done! It's exhausting being rational while submerged in emotions all around you!! Sometimes it feels like there's no light at the end of the tunnel... How do you even begin untangling years’ worth of commitment without losing yourself completely?! 😩😖

so i'm just gonna spit it out here. i think my girlfriend might be cheating on me and it's driving me nuts. we've been together for like two years now and everything was great, or at least I thought it was. she's been acting kinda weird lately, you know? like suddenly she's all secretive about her phone and she never used to be like that.

the other day i glanced over while she was texting someone and she quickly tilted her phone away from me. 😒 srsly, wtf is that about? i asked her who she's chatting with so much and she got all defensive saying “it's nothing”...but my spidey senses are tingling hard, man 🤔;

i talked to one of my buddies about this and he was like dude chill, maybe you're just being paranoid but honestly can’t a guy rely on his instincts once in a while? i dunno if her behavior has changed or if i've just started noticing stuff i ignored before. might be both.

and get this: she's going out 'with the girls' more often than usual too. no offense but that's classic excuse material right there. we were supposed to have a date night last saturday but surprise, suddenly her bff had some existential crisis that needed sorting out immediately... yeah right 🙄

anyway what do people even do in these situations?? should I confront her directly or play detective for a bit longer? either way is kinda crappy cause trust feels super thin now. damn relationships are hard sometimes.

man, i've gotta get this out there. so i'm 19 and been dating this girl for a while now. she's great, don't get me wrong. but here's my thing: she's had sex before and i haven't. yep, still a virgin at 19. some might say that's no big deal, but let me tell you it's starting to feel like one. felt pretty confident about life till now, and suddenly bam – insecurity galore.

we talk about it sometimes and she's cool with it but talks like i should be doing a TED talk or something on all things sex-related cause i'm missing out BIG TIME. really helpful in making me feel better (not). i know sex is natural and blah blah blah but let's face it, the first time's got its own terrifying charm, right? every bit of advice feels like it's from someone who's light years ahead in some intergalactic space race i never knew existed. guess what really grinds my gears is that whole expectation game society plays where guys are supposed to just know stuff by default as if the manual popped out along with the birth certificate or something... sigh...

I don't know if anyone else has experienced this, but I've noticed that people who struggle with alcoholism can sometimes be really mean. I'm married to someone who drinks a lot, and my mom had the same issue when I was growing up. It's like there's a whole different person hiding behind the alcohol. One minute they're fine, and then suddenly it's like I'm the enemy.

I read somewhere that alcohol can change brain chemistry and lower inhibitions, which might explain why they say hurtful things without seeming to care. It feels like I'm constantly walking on eggshells, trying not to upset them even further. Sometimes it makes me think about what it would be like if I didn't have to deal with this at all; how much easier life could be.

It's difficult because I love them both deeply. Yet there are times when their harsh words cut right through me, leaving scars that take forever to heal. Alcohol plays such a significant role in these situations, altering personalities and making everything more challenging than it needs to be.

Despite everything, I remain hopeful. People can change if they truly want to; I've seen stories where individuals have turned their lives around for the better after overcoming addiction. This gives me hope that maybe one day things will improve too. Until then, I'll keep supporting them while taking care of myself as well 🙂.

I've been finding myself in this situation where I feel like I'm constantly walking on eggshells in my marriage... My wife seems to complain about everything these days... no matter what I do, it's never enough. I've taken on more responsibilities around the house than ever before, frankly doing more than she does; yet somehow, it all seems unnoticed. It feels frustrating trying to keep everything positive when there's a looming sense of dissatisfaction from her side.

There was a particularly intense argument lately where she even mentioned the "D word" (divorce...). That hit me hard! It's difficult not to overthink things when such heavy terms are thrown into conversations. Since then, I've been very cautious about every little thing I say or do at home. The anxiety over potentially setting off another round of complaints or arguments is exhausting.

Even the smallest activities are scrutinized now... whether it's something mundane like leaving dishes unchecked for a moment or trivial matters like the choice of TV channel. You find yourself triple-checking your actions (even if they seem inconsequential) just to avoid unnecessary drama; and let's face it, nobody can live like this forever!

Despite trying my best every day, there remains an unshakable doubt hanging above... am I really doing enough? Or is it merely a phase she'll come out of? While I'm desperately trying to make sense of all this chaos without drowning our relationship in negativity and second guesses... What's reasonable to hope for here in keeping things amicable and preventing a deeper rift?!