Chapter 18 - DIVORCE
I filed when Bodie was eight.
Three years after the snowstorm.
People asked why it took so long.
Because decisions do not owe spectators dramatic timing.
Stellan changed.
Significantly.
Therapy.
Parenting.
Independent career.
No Gretchen contact around Bodie.
No financial pressure.
He became a good father.
That did not restore the marriage.
I realized I trusted him with Bodie eventually.
I did not trust my heart to stop remembering the locked door whenever he said:
I didn’t know what to do.
He did know.
Open it.
The marriage had broken around one simple action he failed to take.
At mediation he asked:
“Do you still love me?”
“Yes.”
He cried.
“Then why divorce?”
“Because love is not the same as trust.”
He nodded.
No fight.
We divided marital assets.
His Norwood interests remained his.
My Hart interests remained mine.
Bodie’s trust protections independent.
Shared custody structured around his preferences and school.
No Gretchen.
No White Pine overnights initially.
Eventually Bodie could choose.
He did not.
Stellan never pushed.
That mattered.
May you like
We divorced kindly.
Kindly did not mean painlessly.
