What he hadn’t understood was that I had already made the hardest decision long before the judge handed us a pen.

I had decided Tommy and I deserved peace more than a property we could barely afford.

I didn’t win because Mark suffered.

I won because I could wake in the morning without hearing him mock my questions, because Tommy could speak honestly about his feelings, and because I could make a plan without asking permission.

There were still unexpected expenses, lonely nights, and difficult conversations.

Life didn’t become easy because a divorce was final.