Reply To: Struggling with a Loveless Marriage and Fear of Being Alone – Seeking Advice

I feel for you as I have a similar background. Sometimes when you grow up in dysfunctional toxic families you get used to living in chaos and in fact it feels odd and unstable to not be in chaos, as this is the norm for you. I encourage you to find a therapist and make changes to your life. You are scared for change but how much worse can it be?

Dr Phil used to say there is nothing worse than being in a loveless marriage for a year except being in a loveless for a year and a day.

Yes, you are scared but do you want to wake up another 10 years from now and still be this miserable with no hope in the horizon? It sounds like you are doing better financially. Consult a divorce lawyer and a therapist to help you through this. You deserve a life with some hope and Z deserves to see what it is like to have a healthy parent because if you do not model that for them they might be you in 40 years stuck in the same cycle.