Love Without a Contract
I thought love would be enough. After seven years together, I believed we had built something solid, something that didn’t need a ring or a piece of paper to prove it. But then came the seven-year itch, and just like that, it was over.
Eighteen months later, fate, or maybe unfinished business brought us back together. We moved in again, hoping the years apart had healed what was broken. Two years later, here we are: living under the same roof, but not on the same page.
He bought a house. I have no ownership. He swears he’ll never marry. And while there’s an agreement that I could stay if he passed, the truth is, I’d still be living in someone else’s legacy, not my own.
We’re both in our fifties. We fight a lot. And I can’t help but wonder…
What does love mean when there’s no contract and no real security?
So, what’s a girl to do?
Let’s call this what it is: a relationship built on convenience; it’s not on partnership. You’ve got history, comfort, and maybe even chemistry, but when one person controls the home, the future, and the rules, it’s not a shared life. You’ve accepted emotional crumbs in exchange for companionship, and I get it. Loneliness in your fifties can feel heavier than it did at thirty. But don’t confuse familiar with forever.
If he’s made it clear he’ll never marry, believe him. You can’t build a new chapter with someone who’s already written the ending. Love without commitment might feel romantic until it starts feeling powerless.
Protect your peace and your independence. Start setting money aside. Get legal advice about what that “life use” really means. Build something, emotionally and financially, that’s yours, not borrowed space in his story.
Because the truth is, you can’t make someone marry you. But you can choose not to stay somewhere you’re only halfway wanted. Love without a contract might sound freeing, but in the end, it often leaves one person holding the bag while the other holds the deed.
Ten Years, No Ring, No Deed…..Babe, That’s Not Commitment, That’s Comfort
