fact or fiction

Is it a fact or is it merely fiction? Fact or Fiction explores relationship myths and truths to get your head out of the clouds and back into romantic reality.

The Woman in the Wedding Dress
The Woman in the Wedding Dress Mara had written three paragraphs. She already knew they were dead. She sat in the back of a noodle shop, laptop open. The screen showed her opening: Lena was sad. She had been sad for a long time. She did not know what to do.
By Jin7 days ago in Humans
He Said He Would Remember It Forever. Then He Changed His Number.
Frank waited outside the police station for Danny. The IOU was in his hand, edges soft with sweat. Danny came out, looked at him once, lit a cigarette. Frank held out the paper. Danny said, “Keep it. A souvenir.” Ash landed on the steps. Frank folded the IOU into quarters and slid it into his wallet. Next door, a coffee machine hummed. He bought a black coffee, no sugar, and burned his tongue on the first sip.
By Jin7 days ago in Humans
The Woman in the Clearing
“That isn’t how it happened,” one of the women said, though afterward none of them could agree on who had spoken first. Ariadnae remembered the sentence in Alana’s voice, low and careful, as though correcting the time. Alana insisted it had belonged to Arwen. Arwen said she had heard it before either of them opened her mouth, threaded beneath the rain and the faint electrical hum behind the wall, a sentence already waiting for them in the room. Perhaps that was why none of them objected when the disagreement began. They had been disagreeing before they understood there was anything to dispute.
By Rebecca A Hyde Gonzales7 days ago in Humans
Things I won’t miss (and he won’t recognize)
Last night, I found an old note archived in my phone. I was freeing up memory to avoid yet another monthly subscription, and nearly cleared the entire archive without checking.
By Veronica Wren8 days ago in Humans
I Planned the Family Trip. My Daughter Spent It Showing Me the Back of Her Head.
The Back of Her Head On the morning we left, I rolled three pairs of socks into bundles and stuffed them into the side pocket of the suitcase. Our daughter’s earphone cord was tangled around the power bank and would not come loose. My husband shouted from the bathroom, asking where his razor was. I said it was in the outer pocket of the toiletry bag. He grunted.
By Jin9 days ago in Humans
What Causes a Man’s Midlife Crisis?
There’s a popular image of a man going through a midlife crisis: he suddenly buys a sports car, changes his wardrobe, starts going out more, or decides he needs a dramatic new career. While these stereotypes can be amusing, a midlife crisis is often about something much deeper. For many men, it can be a period of questioning their identity, relationships, achievements, and the direction their life is taking.
By AnthonyBTV9 days ago in Humans
Why People Stop Asking for Help
At 1:17 a.m., a woman sits on the bathroom floor. The tile is cold through her socks. Her phone screen lights her face. In the message box: Can you listen for ten minutes? I don’t need advice.
By Jin9 days ago in Humans
The Long Way Home
The most valuable encounter in life is rediscovering yourself. The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates left behind many maxims, but my personal favorite is: "Know thyself." This was also one of Socrates' own guiding principles, alongside another famous declaration: "The unexamined life is not worth living."
By Emily Chan - Life and love sharing9 days ago in Humans
Echoes of the Unseen: Why Life’s Greatest Answers Take Time
Just be a good person, and fate will take care of the rest. Life will always give you the answers. A traveler saw an old woman struggling to cross a river. Exhausted, he used all his strength to help her across. Afterward, the old woman said nothing and hurried away.
By Emily Chan - Life and love sharing10 days ago in Humans
Your Attention Is the Only Thing You Own
At 1:17 a.m., you open your phone to check whether pancake batter needs baking powder. Forty minutes later, you are watching the war in Iran, a stock market crash, and a cat push a glass off a table. Your thumb keeps moving. The ceiling is blue from the screen. You have forgotten the baking powder.
By Jin10 days ago in Humans
The Ex Is the New Affair Partner
Mark is forty-two. After work, he sat in the car for ten minutes. The phone screen was lit. The contact name was a period. A message came in: “I passed a record shop today. They were playing that song you used to listen to.” He typed: “Which one?” She sent the title. He didn’t tap it. The intro would take him back to the summer of 2008. He tapped it anyway. Upstairs, a child was practicing piano, hit a wrong note, started again.
By Jin10 days ago in Humans
Memory of Limerence
I used to think memory was a kind of proof, something solid enough to hold up like a photograph and say, This is what happened. But memory is less like a photograph and more like a rumor you tell yourself until you believe it. Nothing taught me that faster than the night he and I both swear we remember, even though our versions don’t overlap in any meaningful way.
By Syl De'Vil11 days ago in Humans