A prenup would've made my divorce easier. If I ever get married again, it'll be a nonnegotiable.

When we eventually divorced, I wished we'd put a prenup in place to protect my assets.

Getting married didn't change our relationship

I didn't realize until years after getting married that I wanted a deeper emotional connection. Over time, we grew even further apart.

I found myself managing every aspect of our lives, and I was exhausted. I worked full time and managed most of our lives as a couple, including our social calendar, bills, cleaning, and more.

In my experience, a woman's labor at home is constant and daily, whereas men are usually only called upon to complete a massive project like deep cleaning once every four months. I just accepted that was how it was supposed to be.

Though my husband earned more at the start of our relationship, I quickly outpaced him

I left my tech job in 2019 and started building My Custom Bakes, a software business focused on the baking industry. I also pushed my ex-husband to quit his job because he was unhappy at work.

I initially hoped he would find his own thing, but since he had software-development skills, it made sense to bring him onto my project. He enjoyed the work, but it was my baby, brand, and business. We worked together for about two years.

During that time, I started therapy and realized the extent of the emotional distance between us. We were no longer true partners, and I wanted more out of life. For me, there wasn't enough to salvage. I'd experienced a deep emotional connection with someone at my former tech job, so I knew what it was like to feel fully seen.

It was hard to leave because my ex-husband is a great guy

I was conditioned to believe you don't give up when you find a good person. I didn't question that idea until I forgot so much of myself that I hit a wall.

A significant turning point was during the rise of bigotry and racist incidents targeting Asian Americans amid the COVID-19 pandemic. I had a social-media presence, and because of how I looked, I was getting threatened on TikTok. I expressed to him how serious this was.

He couldn't understand my concern, and that was a blow. As a result, I stopped sharing my feelings.

We officially divorced in March

Emotionally, divorcing was awful. Financially and logistically, it was manageable.

We didn't hire lawyers and did everything ourselves. I ended up buying out my ex-husband's share of the company. This was more about alleviating my guilt than what was fair.

With a prenup, I wouldn't have split as many business assets with him. He never fully grasped the level of sacrifice involved, which hurts because he's the one person who should've seen how hard I worked to build the business.

If we'd gotten a prenup, there would've been no question about how to split things

A prenup is like an insurance policy. You hope you don't have to use it, but if you do, it's there. The split would've been more straightforward if we'd had a prenup — one put together during happier times.

I'm in a new relationship now, but legally, getting married is not appealing. Because I'm financially independent, there's no substantial legal benefit unless I find someone who is equally successful.

Emotionally, there's something to be said for getting married, so I'm not saying never. While marriage can be fulfilling for many, it's not the right path for everyone, especially those who value their independence and have worked hard to achieve success.

If another marriage is in my future, a prenup will be a nonnegotiable part of that commitment to ensure clarity and fairness from the start, and my partner is aware of that. But I've made it clear I'm not interested in getting married right now.

Want to share your story? Email Lauryn Haas at lhaas@businessinsider.com.