I met my wife almost seven years ago. In may 2019 we got married. When we met, she had a six month old baby from a previous relationship. He is now 7 years old.

My wife and I had our ups and downs through our time together. We can both be oversensitive and stubborn and it led to countless fights. We had discussed breaking up at least three or four times throughout the relationship, but always wound up staying together. They drove me crazy sometimes, but I love her, and my stepson.

About a year ago it hit the breaking point. She came to me after a nasty fight and told me she wanted a divorce. She said she was tired of being unhappy. I told her I wasnt happy either, but I didn't want to give up on our family without at least trying something like counseling. She disagreed and I moved out of the house. After a week or two she changed her mind. She came to me and asked if I would be open to trying to rebuild our relationship through something like dating. I didn't want to get divorced in the first place, so I agreed. For a couple months after that, things were great again. We lived separately, but saw each other here and there through the week and spent almost every weekend together.

Then about a month ago, she suddenly became very distant. She was always tired, cranky, and quiet. I figured it had to do with how busy she had been at work (she works in a pharmacy and was doing 13 hour days for vaccine rollout). Then I got my lease renewal paperwork from my landlord and I asked her if she thought we should try living together again.

That, apparently, was the last straw. She said she wanted to take a few days to think, and she told me she still loves me, but it doesn't feel the same. She said she thought we didn't do enough to try to fix things, and wondered if we were only still together because it was comfortable. And again, she said she is tired of being unhappy, although I don't understand how or why it could be me and me alone that's making her unhappy. She wanted to get divorced.

It's been really difficult. I still love her and my stepson and I miss them. The thought of my life without them...its painful.

Yesterday, I went to her house to drop off and pick up a few things, and I saw my stepson. He said mom told him about how we were separating forever this time. I gave him a long hug and I told him how I love him and always will. We both cried. It may have been the hardest moment of my life.

She told me my relationship with him will be up to me. But I have no idea what to do from here. His birth father is still in the picture, and gets visitation with him one day every weekend. So I guess I just have no idea how it can work with us staying in each other's lives. And eventually of course, she will start dating new guys (probably won't be too long either. She's very pretty). I can barely stand the thought of it.

Any advice from someone who's been through something similar would be appreciated.