When She Called Me by an Ex’s Name, I Let “Janet” Take Over

each time, smiling through it, but she would just laugh it off as a “mistake.”

Then it got worse. She stopped using the ex’s name and started calling me “Janet.” No explanation, no reason—just Janet. I genuinely don’t know where it came from, but it became her default.

Every family gathering, every phone call, every introduction—Janet. Even when my continue reading …