I spent 3 years trying to gain my boyfriend's trust after I cheated on him. What I really needed to do was forgive myself.

Tech Insider
Tired and despaired blonde woman sits hunched over a table, her face filled with sorrow.
The author says she heard what she needed from a new partner to finally forgive herself.

Olga Rolenko/Getty Images

After my divorce, I took back my old last name. I feel like I took back my identity.

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a woman looking out the window, happily
The author, not pictured, changed her last name after her divorce.

NIKOLA MILJKOVIC/Getty Images

I'm a book editor and my partner is a window cleaner. We don't compete in any way, and I love that.

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A side by side image of a woman on the left editing her work with a pen, and a man on the right getting ready to clean windows
A woman starts her editing work with a man getting ready to begin maintenance

mixetto/Getty Images, Christopher Furlong/Getty Image

My group of close friends was made up of 2 couples and myself. When one couple split, I grieved too.

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A woman comforts her friend with a hug.
A woman comforts her friend with an embrace.

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My husband and I were in a throuple with someone 16 years younger. Dating someone with such a big age gap caused issues.

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Julie Royce hugging her husband
The author, right, and her husband, left, entered a throuple together.

Courtesy of Ashley Love Photography

My husband and I first met in preschool. We lost touch for a while, but we've now been married for 15 years.

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Stephie Goldman, her husband Evan Goldman, and their children stand together at a party.
My husband and I have been married for 15 years. We met in preschool.

Shay Cohen

My husband and I try to spend as much time apart as possible. It makes us stronger.

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Ashley Archambault and her husband in front of water
The author, left, tries to spend time away from her husband, right.

Courtesy of Ashley Archambault

As a child of divorce, I did everything in my power to maintain a strong, healthy marriage. I accidentally sabotaged it.

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a couple fighting in a hallway
The author, not pictured, was determined not to get divorced.

gorodenkoff/Getty Images

I fell for my neighbor, and he's now my boyfriend. We struggle with boundaries since we live so close to each other.

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Isabel Ravenna with her boyfriend at a bar
The author, left, met her boyfriend, right, when he moved in next door.

Courtesy of Isabel Ravenna

I'm an American living in Paris with my French husband. We sometimes fight over our cultural differences.

Tech Insider
Dufflyn Lammers and her french husband kissing
The writer, left, sometimes fights with her French husband, right.

Courtesy of Dufflyn Lammers

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