Grieving a broken marriage, even one that hurt you, is a paradox few understand. You can feel relief and heartbreak in the same breath. The mind says, “You’re free now,” while the heart whispers, “But I built my life around someone who never truly saw me.”

The grief isn’t just for the person — it’s for the version of yourself that kept hoping they would change, for the memories that feel counterfeit now, for the future you once pictured so vividly. Divorce, even when it’s right, burns down more than a partnership; it burns down the dream of being loved in the way you needed.

Healing begins when you stop trying to assign logic to loss. Sometimes it hurts because it mattered, even if it was broken. Freedom still requires mourning. You can be grateful you left and still ache for what could never be. Both are true, and both deserve space.