Hi Reeling,

Steve, May, and I who respond in Newcomers all had the opportunity to reconcile and Steve and May are still married. It’s a minority, but not as tiny as it may seem when you factor in that some marriages weren’t worth saving due to abuse (Joseph took full custody and remarried a wonderful lady), and some people chose not to DB or DB’s too late for whatever reason. But yes, ultimately your partner gets a say and you can DB perfectly from BD onwards and be out of luck in every sense—except if you stand, process that pain and anger, work on your flaws, and get out there and live your best life you’re going to know you gave it your best (like BL42) and you’re hardly going to come out a loser whatever happens. I hope that helps! I look forward to seeing your next update.