The pain will go away slowly, it might come back to haunt us every now and then but it will go away eventually. Once in a while I will ask myself - do I really still want him or am I just used to having him?!
I guess all of us here wish for our S to come to their senses one day and find their way home. Like I said in my own thread - I will definitely be more than happy if we can make it but life is too short for me to wait around him forever! (My cousin is diagnosed with Acute Leukemia recently and is currently undergoing chemotherapy.)