Carl was smitten. After just a year or two together, he asked for your hand in marriage. Naturally, you hesitated at the fast pace; rushed marriages rarely ended well. But Carl, ever the charmer, promised a life of comfort, buoyed by his wealth and successful career. After all, he was an all-time debate champion—there was no one he couldn’t persuade. Thrilled beyond measure when you finally said yes, he dove headfirst into planning the wedding.

Two weeks later, he received a call from the mother of his only serious ex, informing him she had an awful disease and she wanted to see him. Carl paused the wedding plans to visit her in the hospital and suggested you come along to “get acquainted with his past.” But once there, you felt like a third wheel. The crying, the hand-holding, the tender hug—it all made your stomach turn. At one point, Carl even mused to his ex’s mother about how different things might have been if they hadn’t broken up, wondering if they would have had the children she had always wanted. The words stung.. it made you think— were you just a rebound?.