Melinda Gates is sharing her feelings about her tough breakup with Bill Gates in her new book, The Next Day. She talks about how hard it was for her to make the choice to live apart from him and eventually get a divorce.
In the book, Melinda explains that she started having panic attacks after their serious talk in 2020. She mentions having scary dreams about a house falling down, which made her realize she needed to make a change in her life. In February 2020, she invited Bill to a trip to New Mexico. She hoped to spend time alone there, but when they arrived, she discovered the rental house had once belonged to a couple who had split up.
Even though she tried to pretend it was a normal vacation, she found the courage to tell Bill that she wanted to live separately and take their youngest daughter, Phoebe, with her. She describes this conversation as one of the scariest moments of her life. While Bill was sad and upset, he listened to her and was respectful.
After years of keeping a strong public image as a couple, Melinda knew she wanted to end their 27-year marriage. She had a long but gentle conversation with Bill about it. Soon after, she started suffering from panic attacks. Thanks to therapy, Melinda was able to process the difficulties in her marriage without losing herself in the process.
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