She just saw who I was and decided that was what she wanted. Not because she'd run out of better options. Not because I was safe and reliable. But because she actually liked the person I am.
That is what I had been missing in my relationship with Nia. The feeling of being genuinely chosen, rather than reluctantly accepted.
I heard through mutual friends that Nia had the baby last month. A little girl. I hope she figures out how to be a good mom, but I do not think about it much. It is not my life anymore.
My life is coming home to someone who is genuinely happy to see me. Someone who brags about my work to her friends instead of being embarrassed by it. Someone who includes me in her plans instead of making plans to escape me.
Sometimes I run into people who know about the whole situation, and they tell me I am lucky Nia showed her true colors before we got married.
But I do not think it was about luck. I think it was about finally learning to value myself enough to recognize when someone else did not.
Once I stopped trying to earn love from someone who was never really offering it, I became available for love from someone who was.
The right person does not need to think it over. They do not need to explore their options or make sure you are the best they can do. They just know. The same way you know.
And when you find that person, everything else starts to make sense. Not because your life becomes perfect, but because you are finally building it with someone who actually wants to be there.
To anyone dealing with someone who needs to "find themselves" or "explore their options" before committing to you: let them go. Do not wait around hoping they will realize your worth. Use that time to build a life so good that when the right person comes along, they will want to be part of it immediately.
The right person will not need to shop around to know they want you. They will just want you.
The way Sloan wanted me from the very beginning.
Edit: Thank you, everyone, for the kind words about the wedding. Sloan says Reddit helped save our relationship by encouraging me to have standards. She is not wrong.
Edit 2: For anyone curious, yes, Nia had to pay back the stolen wedding fund money. Small claims court ruled in my favor. We used it for our honeymoon.
Sometimes justice is just living well.