EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!

“What’s going on with their relationship?”
“Did you see he’s dating someone new?”
“OMG, he cheated?”
“She didn’t even love him anymore.”
“And they’re still living together?”
“Did you also hear that he’s getting sued?”
“Apparently he stole lots of money.”
“I feel bad for their son.”
“Poor Jess.”

Those are just a few of the things that have been said about my life this year. Not all of them are true. But it’s still my life.

I’ve never understood making other people’s pain a source of entertainment. My heart was breaking, my family unit breaking, and that became town gossip. Plastered on the invisible newsletter for others to read while they sip their tea and sound their gasps, completely unaware of what it felt like to be living through it personally. I dealt with a lot of anger this year because of that.

It wasn’t just my life being talked about. I was personally watched, stalked, spied on. I was also judged, misunderstood, and lied about. Apparently I was a hot commodity. But all that did was make me close in further. Isolate more. Share less. Try to put curtains around my glass house. I deleted social media. I stopped hanging out in groups. I protected what little privacy I still had left.

I debated sharing my side of the story because I didn’t want to give more fuel to those who don’t care about my heart. But what I’ve come to learn is that there will always be those who are curious over compassionate. I have spent the majority of my life shrinking for others. And the real story is not me shrinking. It’s me rising.

Here is what I will tell you…

Yes, we separated (this is a good thing).
Yes, he’s with someone new (so what?).
Yes, he cheated (ouch).
No, I didn’t stop loving him (one of the rumors).
Yes, we still live together (temporarily).
Yes, he got sued (not for the reasons people assume).
No, he didn’t steal a bunch of money (another rumor).
No, you shouldn’t feel bad for my son (he is loved, supported, and HAPPY).
And “poor Jess”? My ass. This wasn’t my deathbed; it was a rebirth.

Now that we’ve got that clear, I will not be litigating details to feed more gossip. The specifics of what went down, the lawsuit, and my ex’s personal life are not why I’m writing this.

My goal is to share my real-time emotional experiences, my current reflections, and everything in between.

So here it is.

MY story. On MY time. In MY words.