Love Letter: Desire as Plain as a Wedding Ring

"His marriage was our biggest obstacle but not the only one."

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story December 16, 2022 When Paz Pardo began an affair with a married man in Argentina, she thought she knew exactly how their love story would end: They would break up as soon as she boarded her plane back to America; he would be her "bad-idea fling" and she would be his "Band-Aid" for an ailing marriage. But their story turned out to be much more complicated than Ms. Pardo could have imagined. She writes about her experience in this week's Modern Love essay, "My Stint as the Adulterous Flavor-of-the-Month." MODERN LOVE "Living in Argentina had upended my certainties about the plots of love stories." Brian Rea MODERN LOVE My Stint as the Adulterous Flavor-of-the-Month I was trying to have an experience and ended up having a life. By Paz Pardo MORE MODERN LOVE Read the latest batch of Tiny Love Stories or listen to the newest Modern Love podcast episode. Brian Rea MODERN LOVE Tiny Love Stories: 'I Decided to Be Brutally Honest' Modern Love in miniature, featuring reader-submitted stories of no more than 100 words. Brian Rea Your Weirdest Dates We asked listeners to tell us about their most bizarre date spots. The stories were imaginative, morbid and in some cases, life changing. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT LOVE AND MARRIAGE "Once you know better, it's hard not to do better." Jayme Gershen VOWS Tradition Was Never Their Thing. Why Start With a Wedding? Kelly Daniels and Emir Muhovic were married by a graffiti artist they love, during a pop-up wedding at Art Basel in Miami Beach, Fla. By Robbie Spencer La Vie Studios MINI-VOWS An Almost-Missed Connection Saved By a DM Allison Port wasn't responding to Joseph Flaum's dating app messages, so he tracked her down through social media. She was impressed. By Vivian Ewing Olga Polo Weddings MINI-VOWS Not Quite a Setup, But an Instant Connection Nonetheless After Courtney Seamon and Kyle Moore's first date they knew right away that there was something special brewing between them. By Jenny Block Jenna Lee ANDEMINI-VOWS Each Gave Up on Love. Which, of Course, Is When They Found It. Jay Wong and Shawn Lamb grew up with supportive families. Now they want to build one of their own. By Louise Rafkin ASK THE EXPERTS "Having to work all day and party with colleagues all night sounds pretty miserable." Margeaux Walter for The New York Times WORK FRIEND It's Happy Hour, not 'Happy Every Hour' "Don't get too drunk at work" is a good rule. Don't let co-workers convince you to break it. By Roxane Gay Miguel Porlan SOCIAL Q'S How Can I Get My Aunt to Stop Sending Me Lavish Holiday Gifts? A reader feels overwhelmed by the extravagant Christmas gifts she receives from an aunt living overseas. By Philip Galanes LOVE IN THE NEWS "President Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law on Tuesday, mandating federal recognition for same-sex marriages." Oliver Contreras for The New York Times Biden Signs Bill to Protect Same-Sex Marriage Rights Proponents of the legislation argued that Congress needed to be proactive in ensuring a future Supreme Court would not invalidate same-sex marriages around the country. By Michael D. Shear Holly Stapleton Planning a Wedding While Navigating Grief Losing a loved one is among life's most traumatizing events. But the grief that follows can be even more pronounced if you're planning a wedding. By Abby Ellin Chase Castor for The New York Times The Wife Left, but They're Still Together After a pandemic dip, the number of married couples "living apart together" has started to rise again. And women, in search of their own space, are driving the increase. By Kelly Coyne Continue reading the main story ADVERTISMENT We want to hear your stories. Here's how to submit a Modern Love essay or an Unhitched column. Don't feel like writing more than two tweets, an Instagram caption or a Facebook post? Consider submitting to Tiny Love Stories, which are no more than 100 words. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Love Letter from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018