My ex and I are trying to co-parent our daughter through our divorce and we keep having these moments where we're kind to each other or laugh about something she did, and then we both retreat because we don't know how to be good to each other while still letting our marriage actually die.
More people experience this than they realize.
You are discovering that ending love requires its own form of intimacy — the shared work of letting something precious die without killing the parts that must survive.
“Where Are You with Grief in Love — Mourning the End?”
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.