Making Do

All their talk of love for her turned to clouds whenever they encountered their "first love" or "true love."

The first time, she became a disposable nobody. The second time, not even a trace of her remained; she was ground to dust and scattered to nourish the flowers.

The marriage handbook had a line about how maintaining a marriage required compromise, and she took it to heart. As a result, she compromised so much that she ended up settling for a life she didn't want~~~~~~(_)

Only later did she understand that her love had been blessed by every favorable circumstance. It had simply arrived one step late.