broken heart

Hi everyone,

I’ve been reading this forum for some time now, and I want to say how much it has helped me. So many of your stories resonate deeply with me, and they’ve given me some clarity about what I’m going through.

Right now, I feel completely trapped in pain—it’s there when I wake up, and it’s there when I go to bed. A few months ago, my WH left me for the OW. We share a son, and I find myself struggling every single day to cope with the reality of what has happened.

I know, logically, that he isn’t the right person for me—he betrayed me, lied to me, and then walked away. But what breaks me most is looking at my 9-year-old son and realizing that he, too, has been abandoned by his father. That his father chose a new relationship over our family, over our history together—26 years of life, love, and memories since we were just 19. It’s as though all that we shared meant nothing, and he simply stopped loving me and replaced me.

I cry every day, trying hard to hide my emotions from my son, though I know he can sense my pain. I’ve started divorce proceedings because I don’t see another path forward—my WH doesn’t care about me or our marriage, he’s in love with someone else. Meanwhile, I’m left behind with a broken heart.

I do my best each day to hold myself together for my child, but inside I feel shattered into a million pieces. The unfairness of it all overwhelms me. I’ve been attending IC for a few months now; I know the techniques and, in theory, I understand how I should be coping—but the devastation of what he’s done to me, to our family, feels unbearable.

Today I am especially broken, and I believe only those who have walked this same painful path can truly understand. My divorce date hasn’t been set yet, and honestly, I don’t know how I’m going to get through it.

3 comments posted: Monday, September 8th, 2025