We split everything fairly, that was never the fight. I took my half and rented for years while I got back on my feet. There was no income behind it though, so the money just kept shrinking. By the time I found steady work again, the settlement was gone and I was starting from zero.
Nobody owes me an apology, the split was even. But eleven years out of the workforce doesn't just disappear. I apply for roles I used to be qualified for and get told I'm "returning," not "senior." I'm on a fraction of what I used to earn, and he's never taken a pay cut.
The assets were split down the middle, I've got no complaints there. What nobody warned me about is that my income never recovered. Ten years of part time work while the kids were young meant ten years of super he kept building and I didn't. That gap hasn't closed once since we separated. It's only gotten wider.
No faces. No identifying details. Just what happened — because it happened to someone.