Woman 'Embarrassed' Announcing Her Husband Of 4 Months Wants To End Their Marriage — 'I Thought We Were Gonna Grow Old Together'
Her ongoing vulnerability is a testament to her strength.
Photoroyalty / Shutterstock In a flurry of newlywed romances, best friends planning engagements, and stunning bachelorette parties, it can be difficult to see the reality of relationships on TikTok.
Experiencing the heartbreak of a broken marriage, one woman voiced her struggle on TikTok, and she reached exactly the audience she needed.
A woman shared the heartbreak that followed her husband’s decision to divorce after only four months of marriage.
Lauren Fox Aparicio, a jeweler ironically specializing in engagement rings, was forced to share the reality of her life after her husband revealed he wanted to end their marriage. Just four months married, she described the embarrassment and confusion she experienced losing the one person she expected to grow old with.
Unfortunately, for many couples, this is the reality of marriage. Statistics show that around 41% of first marriages end in divorce. Even more staggering, at least in Aparicio's case, is that the average length of marriage before divorce is closer to 8 years.
Explaining the difficulty she anticipated in the months following her divorce, she urged viewers to understand her heartbreak and hesitancy in returning to work with her engaged clients.
Photo: RDNE Stock project from Pexels / Canva Pro
Clearly blindsided, she retraced the conversation she shared with her husband when he revealed his intention to end their marriage, saying, “I thought we had a great relationship… but he’s told me that he’s been dishonest with me and lying to himself.” There was, as she explained, “No fighting, no counseling.”
Aparicio couldn’t help but question at what point in their relationship her husband’s feelings changed.
Unfortunately, in the United States, lack of commitment is the most common reason for divorce.
Almost 75% of divorced couples nationwide attribute a “lack of commitment” as the reason for their divorce. Whether it be one party or both, losing the will to fight and communicate through trials of a relationship often means it ends.
Dating Coach David Elliot discussed four behaviors that tend to lead to divorce in many couples — one of those being alienation. “The one common theme is that it’s a controlling mechanism,” Elliot explained, “designed to manipulate your partner and take back power.”
So as Aparicio dedicated time to building communication strategies, a foundation of trust, and support for her partner, he continued to “catalog grievances over the past four months — lying to himself and to her.” He alienated her from his true feelings, motivations, and truth. And she was left to pick up the pieces on her own.
Days after ending their marriage, Aparicio found support in an online community that could easily empathize with her heartbreak.
In a “get ready with me” video for her first day back at work, she made sure to express love for the support she received from viewers. In a lonely time, she felt embraced by her community in a way that made her first day dealing with the news a bit more bearable.
“I just want to say thank you to everyone that reached out after my last video,” she expressed. “I can’t believe the kindness of the community that I have here.”
While it might seem solely emotional to those who haven’t lived through a similar situation, heartbreak can take a toll on many other areas of a victim's life.
A broken heart has very real physical symptoms attached to it. So, following divorce, oftentimes people’s immune systems are compromised — affecting sleep, appetite, body temperature, and heart rate.
Photo: cottonbro studio / Pexels
Commenters were quick to acknowledge that pain. In solidarity, one user wrote, “I’m so sorry dear. Nothing is worse than the sickness you feel in your stomach and heart. You’ve got this!”
Aparicio's video highlights how community (friends, family or even social media commenters) can help support you through heartache and moving on.
It’s never worth it to be in a relationship with anyone who takes away from your well-being (both emotionally and physically), no matter the length of your time together.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango focusing on pop culture analysis and human interest stories.