🍒 Chapter 27: Where We Go from Here

Cece reflects on early marriage, childhood neglect, and emotional healing. She unpacks the statistic that marriages before age 22 often fail — and how she nearly defied the odds for nearly two decades.

She explores how growing up in an unsafe emotional environment shaped her relationships: seeking validation, people-pleasing, and trying to “earn” love rather than receive it freely. The chapter focuses heavily on her separation from Bryce in 2023 — not as a story of betrayal, but as a turning point that helped her finally recognize his unconditional love.

Cece describes how Bryce supported her through chronic illness, household responsibilities, and mental health struggles even while she was pushing him away. She acknowledges her own shortcomings, growth, and gratitude for her husband, while also emphasizing that relationships require ongoing work and boundaries.

The episode shifts into humor with Cece's playful “toddlers should run the world” theory before circling back to family love — including a lighthearted anecdote about her Nana and a flaming paper prank.

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⚠️ Potential triggers featured in this episode may include, but are not limited to:

• Marital separation • Emotional neglect in childhood • Bipolar disorder (possible manic episode) • Chronic illness and caregiver dynamics

No graphic sexual content is included.