The moment that morning when I stood outside city hall, I felt an unprecedented sense of relief. Aurora wanted to stay with me, but I told her to go ahead. Back then, I chose to start this alone, so now I should say goodbye properly by myself.

I watched the cars coming and going on the road, and the couples entering and leaving—some getting married, some getting divorced. It was easy to tell who was who. The smiling ones were getting married, while those with blank expressions or ...