That phrase—“marriage of convenience”—carries so much emotional weight when the curtain finally drops. On the surface, it might have looked like a picture-perfect life: smiles for the neighbors, family dinners, perhaps even posts on social media showcasing togetherness. But behind closed doors, it was more performance than partnership. A carefully curated façade to keep up appearances, to maintain an illusion of stability or respectability—when in truth, it was anything but.

A marriage of convenience can take many forms:

• A union formed for social or financial gain
• A mask to hide someone’s true identity or sexuality
• A strategic move to align with societal expectations
• Or, heartbreakingly, a shield to cover abuse, dysfunction, or emotional disconnection

In these kinds of arrangements, love is rarely present, at least not in the way most of us hope for: the tender, growing, safe kind. Instead, there’s often manipulation, silent contracts, and unspoken rules. You may have played your part dutifully—keeping the peace, pretending for the kids, maintaining the illusion—until something in you broke, or woke up. Perhaps it was the realization that no amount of pretending could fill the aching void. Or maybe the emotional cost of sustaining the lie became too high.

When you call it a “sham”, that’s truth breaking through. It takes tremendous clarity and courage to name it. Many people trapped in these kinds of marriages struggle for years to admit—sometimes even to themselves—that what they built wasn’t real in the emotional sense. It might have been legal. It might have looked polished. But it was devoid of authenticity, vulnerability, and intimacy.

There’s often grief in this realization too—not just for what was, but for what never was. The love you gave that wasn’t returned. The loyalty you offered that wasn’t matched. The life you imagined, contrasted with the reality you endured.

But there’s also a deep liberation in truth-telling. In saying: “It was a sham. It was a cover-up. And I deserve more than that.”

You deserve a relationship that is rooted in honesty, mutual respect, and emotional safety. One where you’re not playing a part, but living your truth. And if that means walking away from the respectable façade, then what you’re stepping into—your peace, your healing, your self-worth—is infinitely more valuable.