How Our Second Chance To Love And Marriage Empowered Us

In a society where divorce and remarriage are still taboo, people are shattering notions one love story at a time. In this week's Valentine's special, we bring you a heartwarming story of two individuals who not broke several stereotypes to come together and didn't settle until they found a home in each other, a home where they were both loved and respected.

In conversation with SheThePeople, the Shah couple shares their personal journey of past relationship turmoils, how they surpassed challenges, and why giving love a second chance was monumental for them.

Second Chance To Love

"I met my ex-spouse through a matrimonial app in 2018. He was from the US, and I lived in India. While I wanted more time, he wanted things to proceed faster. We got married only within three months of knowing each other. After the wedding, he would only speak to me if he needed something or if it was something about his family. I tried my best to communicate, but he never responded. When I started questioning his behaviour, he blamed me. As a psychologist, I never found his behaviour normal. It didn’t take long for him to start verbally abusing me. I was stuck in a loop of narcissistic abuse. It was the darkest phase of my life.

I was scared of him, and alone and helpless, 8000 miles away from home. In 2019, on our trip to India, I decided to file a divorce. He reacted with a series of verbal abuse, but I stood firm. My family & my newborn niece helped me get through this traumatic phase. After four months, I was finally free!

In 2020 I met Ritesh online, but I was scared to trust someone again. He was also recovering from a toxic marriage, so we connected on the shared pain. He was in the US, and I wasn’t sure about moving away from home again, but he assured me that if

I didn’t feel comfortable, we would settle in India. Ritesh was caring and loving from the beginning. On days when I couldn't sleep at night, he stayed awake with me. I began to believe in love again with him by my side. He also pushed me to rebuild my career. In February 2020, he came to India to see me for the first time, but I got Covid. He offered me constant support throughout. We tied the knot in November 2020 but were stuck in a long-distance relationship for 1.5 years owing to restrictions. Ritesh made sure we spent time together doing different activities on video calls.

We’re happily living together in the US now, and I couldn’t have asked for a better life partner. He has become very close to my parents & treats them like his own. It’s incredible to see the kind of son he is to my parents too. My life getting intertwined with Ritesh showed me that it’s important to open yourself to second chances."

As narrated by the couple to Saloni Karnani, Team SheThePeople

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