I became the guardian of my twin sisters after our mother’s death — my fiancée pretended to love them until I heard what she really said.

 Six months ago, I was a 25-year-old structural engineer with a wedding to plan, a half-paid honeymoon in Maui, and a fiancée who had already picked out names for our future children. Of course, I was stressed: deadlines, bills, a mother who texted me every hour with grocery list updates and a bunch of supplements for me to try.

“James, you work too much,” she’d tell me. “And I’m proud of you. But I’m also worried about your health. That’s why supplements and good food are going to be the priority.”

So yes, I was stressed. But it was normal, manageable, and predictable.