It seems that this document really matters.
It was never just a document.
In the morning after our anniversary, Mihai believed that the two suitcases next to the kitchen table symbolized the end of the relationship. In reality, they represented the end of his certainty that I would remain, no matter how he treated me.
Often, that is the difference between being loved and being considered a thing self-evident. I didn’t want a ring to prove that ten years of my life were real. I wanted a partner who understands that the choice to stay together has value precisely because each of us is free to leave.
