NewsBreak Original

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events I witnessed firsthand; used with permission. My family and I were close friends with a husband and wife who lived nearby. Her brother from Canada came to visit and brought his girlfriend; they were a lovely couple. I felt fortunate to meet such a pleasant pair. To me, they seemed to be deeply in love.

**This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events that I have experienced firsthand; used with permission. Loving someone doesn’t guarantee they’ll always stay. That was the hard truth that I had to accept when the man I loved disappeared without a trace. He didn’t say goodbye or tell me why it was over. He vanished from my life like warm breath in cold air.

**This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events that I have experienced firsthand; used with permission. Three of my significant romantic relationships were with men with avoidant attachment styles. While I’m not an avoidant myself, it’s not surprising that I was attracted to this type of person because both of my parents are avoidants.

**This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events that I have experienced firsthand; used with permission. One of my most enduring relationships also lacked intimacy. It was primarily based on deep friendship and shared interests, but we never shared our innermost thoughts or secrets.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events as told to me by a family friend who experienced them firsthand; used with permission. A longtime family friend and his wife invited my parents and me to their daughter's wedding.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events as told to me by a friend, who experienced them firsthand; used with permission. My friend married a man who was popular with the ladies. She knew about his past, of course, but she didn't realize how his past would come back to haunt her until she found out why his landlord kept looking at her through the window.

**This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events as told to me by a close friend, who experienced them firsthand; used with permission. One of my oldest friends recently told me she has a “penchant for attracting ‘damaged’ partners.” She described her last three relationships as being with men who were “emotionally unavailable,” “addicted to work,” and “jealous and controlling.”

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events as told to me by a family member, who experienced them firsthand; used with permission. My mother has often shared with me that my father was a bit of a ladies' man in his youth. While it made for a difficult marriage for years, it also makes for a lot of good stories today.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events I experienced firsthand; used with permission. I invited my boyfriend over for dinner for the first time. To make things easy, I cooked burgers on the grill. I divided up the burgers.

**This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events that I have experienced firsthand; used with permission. Relationships are undeniably part of healing. There are parts of ourselves that we would never see or have access to in the absence of being seen and held by others. This is as true for our physical healing as it is for psychological and emotional wellbeing.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events as told to me by a friend, who experienced them firsthand; used with permission. My friend wasn't happily married, but she wasn't unhappily married either. Her marriage was routine, and she was complacent. However, she never expected anything like this to happen. A strange woman sent her husband a letter asking him to stop harassing her.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events I experienced firsthand; used with permission. Should a woman's husband have any say in what time she comes home at night?. My cousin was having a co-ed bridal shower just days before her wedding, and my husband refused to attend. He didn't want me to go to the wedding shower without him, either, but he relented because he knew my cousin and I were as close as sisters.

**This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events as told to me by a close friend who experienced them firsthand; used with permission. It isn’t uncommon for couples to threaten divorce as a way to get what they want from their spouse. However, a friend took this tactic further by filing for divorce — only to later withdraw the papers when her husband met her demands.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events as told to me by a family friend, who experienced them firsthand; used with permission. Doctors diagnosed a family friend with a debilitating disease. He and his wife lived in a two-story home. When he could no longer safely ascend the stairs that led to their bedroom, his wife refused to allow him to install a wheelchair lift for him to continue using the second floor.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events as told to me by a family friend who experienced them firsthand; used with permission. My father was a compulsive cheater in his youth; my mother married him anyway. "It was like cheating was his hobby," she told me. "It consumed all his spare time."

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events I witnessed firsthand; used with permission. I worked as a bank teller. It was one of the most dramatic jobs I've ever had, and I've had many.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events I experienced firsthand; used with permission. I dated a man who developed a passion for playing vintage video games after we began dating. Unfortunately, I couldn't see the warning signs because they weren't there.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events as told to me by a woman who experienced them firsthand; used with permission. A newly engaged couple was planning their wedding when the bride's childhood best friend came to visit. Nothing would ever be the same again. When the groom and the bride's childhood best friend met, it was love at first sight.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events as told to me by a woman who witnessed them firsthand; used with permission. My mother witnessed many Walmart romances when she worked for the retail giant. There was one in particular that still stands out in her mind. It was so memorable because it was so heartbreaking.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events as told to me by a woman who experienced them firsthand; used with permission. A close friend had a prestigious job at a local telecommunications company. It was an important job, so she took frequent business trips with the top brass. They traveled everywhere on business. She was rarely even home with her husband.