I found a photo of her once—the girl he married. She was twenty-four, wearing a sundress, laughing with her whole face. I am forty-one now. My body has housed two children and one grief. My hair is grayer. My patience is thinner. For a long time, I was jealous of that girl. She didn’t know about the mortgage or the miscarriage or the way fatigue can feel like drowning. But last week, we were sitting on the porch in the dark, and he said, “You’re funnier now.” Not younger. Not prettier. Funnier. I realized he doesn’t miss her either. She was a good start. But I am the whole story.

Real wife stories are important for several reasons:

Now, Linda and Brian are approaching 40 years of marriage. They have separate hobbies and shared bedtimes. They have mastered the art of "alone together."

Focus on a period where you felt disconnected and how you navigated back to each other.