Prologue

Life. Love. Marriage. Children. No one talks about all the stages of relationships . The movies and romance novels would have you believing it's only about the chase. As if once the man and woman declare their love to each other, they live happily ever after. 

But that's not real life, is it? In real life, the end of the chase is the beginning of the story.

How do you keep the magic of the chase in your life? Do you remember the  first time you met the love of your life? Can you recall the excitement, the anticipation, the chemistry? How do you sustain that through fifteen years of marriage and two children?

I assumed my husband and I had figured it out. I thought, somehow, we defied the odds of staying married and keeping it fresh. But I was wrong -- one morning shattered my entire understanding of our relationship. Just like that — gone!

We all begin our relationships thinking we are the ones who will be different. That we will be the ones to defy the odds and sustain the chase. But for many of us, most of us, such beliefs are simply the inexperience of youth. Life has a way of shattering the way we understand our relationships. And if we’re not careful, just like that, forever becomes an illusion.