My 45th birthday began quietly, with coffee and no expectations. By nightfall, I was filing for divorce with trembling hands. I didn\u2019t plan it that way, but sometimes life forces the truth into the light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m Olivia, 44, and until recently I\u2019d been married to my husband, John, for 18 years. If you\u2019d asked me a month before my birthday, I would have said our marriage was \u201cfine.\u201d That was the lie I told everyone, including myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John and I met in college and built a predictable, ordinary life in Charlotte with our two kids. He was never the romantic type, but he made me feel safe \u2014 or at least, I thought he did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few weeks before my birthday, he started acting strangely: late nights at the office, secretive phone calls, and a sudden interest in my preferences \u2014 perfume, jewelry, flowers. For the first time in years, I wondered if maybe he was planning something special.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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