he asked for a divorce, now what?

After 12 years of being married, he told her he wanted a divorce. It shouldn't have come as a surprise, yet it did. Liz knew they were unhappy. They both had been for years. The sex had stopped about 6 months ago. But, why now.

Liz was getting ready to go to a concert. She had just finished getting dressed and sat down at the table to tell the kids goodbye. Max said, "We need to talk when you get home." He looked so serious, Liz knew she couldn't wait. She needed to know now.

"I want a divorce." It was that simple. That's all he said.

Liz spent the next 3 months trying to convince Max it was not what he wanted. What she didn't know, however, was he had already moved on with Lisa. Lisa was a friend from high school that Max had reconnected with. They began dating and when Lisa left her husband, Max decided it was time to leave Liz.

Liz was never happy with Max. She married him out of friendship and a fear of being alone. She was pregnant when that got married their senior year of high school. Liz found out the night of the wedding that Max had cheated on her the month before. What could she do? She was stuck. Trust was now something Liz would battle with for years to come.

Despite her unhappiness, Liz tried to fake it. Occasionally she'd come across items of concern. Love letters from women that Max claimed were from high school, entries in his journal describing inappropriate feelings for the babysitter, text messages, emails, phone calls. Liz tried to say she stayed for the kids. Eventually, their daughter would tell Liz she wanted a new daddy. Liz was young, naive, and afraid to have to support a family on her own.

It was one day in October that Liz came home to find Max's stuff moved out of the house. It was a Monday. The kids were home alone. "Where's your dad?" she asked. She found a note in the bedroom explaining that he had moved into an apartment. It was just around the corner and he'd be by the next day to talk.

Liz was devastated at first. She started to go out a lot. She met a lot of different men. She met them at bars, in restaurants, in parking lots, it didn't matter. She got her worth from the attention they gave her. She drank more and more. Luckily, the kids never knew. Liz only went out when they were with their father or other family members.

Two weeks after Max left, Liz met a man named Evan. Evan began to sleep over a lot and started to try to control Liz. He'd encourage her to drink, push her to go out. One night, on the way home from their favorite dive, they got pulled over. Evan was taken to jail for DUI, while Liz called a cab. Evan didn't get out of jail for a year later. Liz found out he was in violation of parole and had to serve out his sentence.

One man after the next, Liz started to lose count. Some names she remembered, some she never knew. Her friends grew worried. They had an intervention with Liz. After seeing the effects this lifestyle was having on her family and career, Liz decided to take a step back. It was almost New Years. Time to make a resolution. Besides, why should Liz be suffering so much over a man she didn't love anyways. Max had moved on. He and Lisa got engaged that Christmas.

Yep, it was time for Liz to buck up and do something right again. She couldn't let Max ruin her. He would not have that satisfaction.......