For nearly twenty years, my life was deeply connected to a man I loved—not married, no kids, but committed. He even got a vasectomy to honor our choice to stay child-free. Then I discovered he’d been unfaithful. I left him, and he quickly married the woman he had the affair with.

A year later, I got pregnant with my current boyfriend. Despite the newness, we embraced the challenge and built a happy family. My ex couldn’t let go—his angry texts stopped only after I blocked him. Then, months later, I was shocked to learn he died in a tragic accident. His wife was pregnant.