It has been a whirlwind few months, but my divorce is now official and I feel a tremendous sense of relief. I am excited about starting over with a clean slate (no alimony or child support). Still, I am struggling to get past the residual anger. My situation is just so absurd.

I met my ex on Tinder back in 2017 during a time where I was particularly lonely and vulnerable. She has narcissistic tendencies and love-bombed the shit out of me, which preyed on my own poor mental health. She also had two kids from a previous marriage (now 10 and 11 years old), both of whom I love dearly and came to see as my own.

There were myriad red flags early on that I ignored (lots of guy friends and alienated relationships without good explanations), and troubling information about her past started coming to light after the marriage. We dated for two years prior to tying the knot, during which she concealed her sordid past and led me to believe that her ex was the issue in her first marriage (typical).

She finally owned up to having an affair in her first marriage once the pandemic hit and she was forced to stay inside with her feelings. Her normal coping strategies are running around like a chicken with her head cut off and going on shopping sprees. But the guilt caught up to her during lockdown.

I also learned that her mother is a serial cheater on her third marriage, and that her father is a drug addict with codependency issues who is basically just her live-in cuck/manservant.

Fast-forward to 2022 - I encouraged her to get her real estate license (I own a successful business but got tired of her spending binges and wanted her to pull her own weight). She joined a brokerage and befriended a 24-year-old (ex is 32) on the job. The rest, as they say, is history.

Her mother covertly pushed her to have an affair with this kid and to put everything in motion for the divorce while establishing things with him. I recently learned that my ex and her parents spent Thanksgiving with AP and his parents, and that she brought the kids with her/has been exposing them to AP frequently.

I am still in contact with the father of the kids who lets me call and visit, thankfully. And I have gone full NC with my ex. But I am fuming over the fact that people can be so degenerate.

When I met my ex, she was destitute. I bought a house (which she just moved her parents into), paid for her real estate schooling/license, gave her kids a great life with vacations, toys, video games, sports, etc., and was simply done dirty for my efforts.

Thankfully, I do not have to stay put in my high COL area. I’m moving to a less expensive state to regenerate the wealth that my ex squandered. The only drawback is not being close to the kids, but I also plan to call/visit and have to put my well-being first.

Sorry for the long-winded rant. Just know that opportunities abound in the middle of these crises and that things do get better. The lingering anger is a bitch, though.