Some women don't like to let go of the current husband, until they've got a replacement all lined up and ready to move in. (For economic reasons, among others.) She's got no one waiting in the wings yet, but I believe she's man-shopping. With the pressures of school, her time and energy to do that are limited. (Maybe she thought that married guy she was seeing was going to leave his wife for her, and he didn't come through.) She may be waiting to see who she meets on the job, when she finishes nursing school. She may have fantasies of hooking herself a doctor, or even just another nurse. Men in nursing tend to make even more money than women. And they'ld have a lot to talk about. I get the sense that she is somewhat ambitious and doesn't want to "settle."

I think the card and flowers were a reasonable gesture toward conciliation. You have to start somewhere. It was a self-humbling gesture. She rejects every effort made toward reconciliation. I don't see where she is "hinting" at anything, other than that she will not accept any constraints whatsoever on her liberties. That's not a position you can negotiate with. She's pretty much saying, "I am now a free agent. Take it or leave it. Do what you will, but I'm not going to be subject to any of the normal restrictions a married person normally abides by. I gave you ten years. I'm done." All these posts above about how she just doesn't want to go back to the awful conditions that were imposed on her over those ten years assumes a lot. What awful conditions? I don't know that those ten years were her living under the domineering rule of a controling man with a Neanderthal mindset who kept her living like people did in the dark ages. Where's the evidence for any of that? As was said above, people are just projecting their own issues into this relationship, making all manner of assumptions that this woman was a victim of some sort of psychological abuse and just couldn't get her rightful needs met. She may just have decided that she's bored and does not feel attracted to her husband anymore. That may be something that simply is not subject to change.