Gavin actually did sell the house after paying off all their debts and the back taxes they owed. He walked away with a very modest chunk of change.

He was living in a small one-bedroom apartment closer to the city now. He and Sloan had filed for divorce.

Without my bank account acting as a shock absorber, their marriage just couldn’t survive the financial reality check.

Gavin came up to visit me last week. He looked thinner, but for the first time in his life, he carried himself like a real adult.

He brought me a bouquet of flowers paid for with his own hard-earned money. We didn’t rehash the past, but right before he left, he hugged me and thanked me for the tough love.

I don’t regret a single thing.

Sometimes the most loving thing you can do for someone is to step out of the way and let them face the consequences of their own actions.

Sloan still sends me bitter, nasty emails every now and then blaming me for ruining her life. I delete them without reading a single word.

My bank account is doing fine, but more importantly, my emotional battery is fully charged.