I told myself after January left, I would ask for a divorce. Then February came and Aida had to fly to her parents to take care of her sick dad. February came and went, never finding the right time to upend her world. It’s now the second week of March and I can’t do it anymore. We got into an argument earlier today, and it’s slowly spiraled into a full-fledged fight. It’s been hours, and I can’t even remember what the initial argument was about, but it’s transformed into spilling every single thing the other has done that pissed us off over the years.

It’s after eight in the evening now. We ordered take-out for dinner that just arrived, and we’re sitting on the floor in our living room. We’re both exhausted—eyes bloodshot and puffy from crying, voices hoarse from shouting—and I want this to be over already. We’ve wasted an entire day on this shit, but it needs to be hashed out.

“You’re not who you used to be, Stone,” she whispers, wiping her nose with a tissue.

“Yeah, well, neither are you, Aida. We’ve grown up a lot in the last decade. Of course, we aren’t who we once were. We were kids when we met. Hell, we were kids when we got married.”

“So, then what, Stone?”

“I think it’s time we call a spade a spade.”

Her eyes go big as she drops her hand by her side. “Meaning what, exactly?”

“We don’t spend time together, we don’t talk, we don’t have sex—hell, we aren’t affectionate at all—and we don’t even sleep in the same room, Aida. Come on. Why waste any more time making ourselves miserable? It’s time to cut our ties. Go our separate ways. We will always love each other, but let’s be honest for once… we aren’t in love with each other, and we haven’t been for many, many years. I’ve thrown myself into my work and you’re hardly ever around. I think it’s time we get a divorce, Aida. Move on with our lives.”

Her eyes well with tears, one escaping and falling down her cheek, and a choked sob comes out of her. “Where am I supposed to go, Stone? You know I don’t have anyone here.”

The fact that this was her first concern above all just proves my point.

“I’m not saying one of us needs to move out tomorrow. We have stuff to figure out with the house. It’ll give us both time to figure out what we want to do… separately.” I wrap my arm around her, pulling her into me, as tears of my own fall silently.