I’m Ava. I’m 38 years old, and I’ve been married to Mark for 12 years. Twelve long, complicated, sometimes wonderful years that have been shadowed by one constant presence: my mother-in-law, Cheryl. From the moment Mark slid that ring on my finger, Cheryl made it her personal mission to fix me. To mold me…

I’m 40 years old, and I’m raising two kids on my own. Jeremy just turned five, and Sophie is three. You learn pretty fast who you are when the noise dies down, and there’s no one left to blame. Their father walked out the door three weeks after Sophie was born, leaving me with…

Thanksgiving was meant to be picture-perfect. The table was set with fine china, the rich aroma of turkey filled the room, and laughter bubbled over from every corner. My husband, Peter, was putting the finishing touches on the turkey while I checked that everyone was comfortable. Little did I know that the holiday would…

My name’s Ethan, I’m 27, and until a few weeks ago, the Army owned my life. Four-year infantry contract overseas. Dust, bad coffee, worse chow, the same seven jokes recycled in every platoon, and a kind of exhaustion that lived in your bones. I’m 27, and until a few weeks ago, the Army owned…

I’m 28F, and yesterday completely shattered my reality. If someone had told me this a week ago, I’d have laughed. But it happened. And it was horrifying, heartbreaking… impossible. I thought I knew him. My fiancé, Jason, has a tragic past. His first wife, Lila, supposedly died in a car crash five years ago……

When my dad died last spring, the entire world went completely quiet. He was the one who made everything in my life feel steady and safe. The morning pancakes with far too much syrup, the corny jokes that made me groan but secretly smile, and the “you can do anything, sweetheart” pep talks before…