After John and I decided to divorce, we agreed it would be financially impossible for him to move into his own apartment and still pay his half of the bills our home. We agreed that he would stay and use the guest bedroom and the guest bathroom. That worked for a few months.

He wasn't at the house every night — he would often stay at a friend's place. But the nights when he was home were not easy. At the time, our divorce wasn't finalized, so we were still officially married but mentally divorced.

I remember how odd and painful it felt being at home with him. It felt like we should be doing our usual routine — having dinner together, opening a bottle of wine and sitting by the fire—- but my mind knew better. I couldn't ask him if he wanted to come sit by the fire, or go into his office, give him a kiss and ask him how his work was going. Those days were long gone.

In the morning, when we were showering and getting ready for the day, he was in his bathroom and I was in mine. He would "announce" when he had to enter the master bedroom — which had become my bedroom — to get his clothes out of the closet, so that I could make sure I was "decent." As you can imagine, that arrangement didn't work for long.

After a few months, I told him he had to move out and just find a friend to live with. He agreed and moved out. I'm so glad those days are over.