The Start of Our Separation Journey
It all began when me and my wife decided to live separately last spring. Things weren’t working no more – constant arguing over stupid stuff like who forgot to pay the internet bill. We agreed to try a trial separation before jumping into full divorce papers. At first, it felt kinda peaceful having my own space, you know?
When Dating Entered the Picture
About three months in, my buddy Mike told me he saw my wife at that fancy downtown restaurant with some dude. I brushed it off thinking maybe work dinner or whatever. Then boom – my sister sends me her Tinder profile screenshot. That hit different.
I did what any dumb guy would do:
- Checked her Instagram like five times daily
- Drove past our old apartment hoping to catch something
- Even called her mom pretending to ask about our cat
Turns out she’d been dating since month two of our separation. Felt like someone punched my gut when I found out.
The Divorce Process Went Sideways
We started negotiating divorce terms through lawyers last August. What happened next shocked me:
- Every time she had a new date, her settlement demands got more aggressive
- Suddenly she wanted alimony even though she was earning same as me
- The custody fight over our dog got nasty over overnight stays
Her lawyer started dragging out every small detail. Our $5k divorce turned into $20k nightmare real quick.
What Finally Happened
After ten months of legal bs, I realized something big – dating during separation makes people competitive instead of cooperative. We ended up splitting everything 50/50 like we originally planned anyway. But get this:
- Spent triple on lawyers fees
- Took twice as long as it should’ve
- Created bad blood that’ll last years
Looking back, I should’ve kept my nose out her dating life. That jealousy rabbit hole cost me emotionally and financially. My advice? Focus on your papers, not their dates.
