“Jealous or Justified is a monthly segment where we ask our readers to analyze the situation of someone who has asked for our help to see if the person is being Jealous or are they Justified in feeling the way they feel.

Please keep in mind that the term “Jealous” can mean many things in the context of this segment. It doesn’t and won’t always mean jealous in its true meaning. Perhaps the person is just in their feeling a bit too much.

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Dear Beautiful Machine Readers,

This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever written, but I need your help. My girlfriend and her daughter went on a cruise to celebrate her daughter entering high school. While they were away, their beloved family dog became severely ill. After an emergency trip to the vet, I was told he had a terminal brain tumor causing him immense pain. I made the gut-wrenching decision to put him to sleep.

I didn’t call them while they were away because I didn’t want to ruin their vacation with such devastating news. I thought I was doing the right thing, sparing them grief during what was meant to be a happy and memorable trip. But when they returned, I told them what had happened, and everything changed.

It’s been almost ten months, and my fiancée is still angry with me. This pain and resentment have driven a deep wedge between us. We haven’t been intimate since she came home, and the emotional distance grows by the day. I’ve tried to apologize, explain my intentions, and support her grief, but nothing seems to help.

Now, I find myself at a crossroads. I’m deeply sorry for how things unfolded and for the pain she’s feeling, but I’m struggling too. I did what I thought was best at the time, yet the fallout has left me feeling isolated and unsure of how to move forward. I love her, but this has taken a toll on our relationship and on me personally.

I don’t know what to do. Should I stay and keep trying to work through this grief with her, even though it feels like we’re stuck in place? Or is it time to move on, as painful as that decision would be?

Is it possible to heal from something like this, or is letting go the only way forward?

Thank you for reading this and for being a community I can lean on in this difficult time.

Sincerely,
Wade R.