I divorced after 20 years of marriage. I know my case is much simpler than most of those shared here. We had no children, no property to divide, just savings (mostly mine). No feelings, no “relationship.” Just a formal marriage that had died long ago, kept alive only by my cowardice (let’s be honest). Eventually, something I could barely dream of happened: once in a lifetime, a year ago, I stood firm, didn’t back down, and saw it through to the end. And here I am free.

I just wanted to share my joy here, because there’s almost no one I can talk to. During the marriage, I lost all my friends and didn’t make any new ones. No social connections, but it doesn’t bother me much. At my age (50), it feels less important. Maybe I’ll start interacting with people again, but for now, I’m fine with that.

We parted on good terms -- no scandals, no mud-slinging, quite constructively. I don’t feel hatred toward my ex-wife; rather, I feel mild goodwill and a strong desire to stay as far away as possible :) I lost half my money and NN years of my life, but I don’t blame anyone. It was my decision, my responsibility. As for money... You know I’m one of those people who value freedom more than money. Maybe I’ll regret it someday, but years of self-restraint, compromise, and adjusting have made personal freedom a supreme value.

From now, life is just for myself. What’s lost can’t be recovered, but it’s better to focus on what remains not on what's gone. I want to invest in myself, grow, try new things. A ton of plans. I’m not bitter, far from being a misogynist, and I want to stay open to new connections -- regardless of gender -- maybe even new relationships. But I will never again compromise or give up my freedom. Still, I’m skeptical about the possibility of a serious relationship with a woman -- my expectations have become too high, you know what I mean :)

Regarding sex (or rather, the lack of it), I have no issues. I fully acknowledge that sex can be something elevated and thrilling, but in our case, it wasn’t about intimacy -- it felt like we were using each other for mutual masturbation. What truly matters to me is closeness, whether it involves sex or not. So in that sense, I haven’t really lost anything.

I’ve gone so long without having a real home that now, just the thought of choosing my own apartment, or even just a chair, deciding when to go to bed, or how to spend my money -- it makes my heart skip a beat.

I’m fully aware that I’m in a state of euphoria right now, full of illusions about myself and life in general, and that there will be a pendulum swing and disappointment later. All of that is true. But right now, I feel really good -- and I just wanted to share that joy with you.