The fear of being alone and single is not a good reason to stay in a toxic, loveless marriage. A toxic loveless marriage also will have negative effects on a growing child, so in your case, staying for the sake of the child is not a good reason to stay either, in my opinion. I agree that a therapist can help you sort out the issues better, but from my perspective, it is best to separate and go your own ways, allowing yourself the freedom to become the person you are meant to be and the freedom to find happiness in your life. You married at a young age, but that doesn't have to be a life sentence. The world is a vast and exciting place to live, and as single parent at the age of 40, you have many more years ahead of you and much more of life to experience. You would likely get 50/50 custody of the child, unless your wife is the vengeful type if you decide to divorce.

I divorced two years ago at the age of 52. I was scared to be alone and single again. It took time for me to adjust, but now that I have adjusted to my single life, I am finding it to be most empowering and filled with joy in ways that I never experienced in my marriage or even before my marriage. I had a toxic marriage to an abusive partner. And now, two years later, I am so glad that I left him to find my own happiness in life - and that's precisely my goal.

You, too, can make happiness a goal for yourself. You're miserable now, and that will only continue and worsen as time goes on. The question you have to ask yourself is: what do I really want out of this one lifetime that I have to live? Do you want to be happy? Do you at least want a chance at happiness? Do you want to explore the world and go on many new adventures, meeting new people and making new friendships or would you prefer to remain in a miserable state of existence for the rest of your life?

These are hard questions, but important ones to ask yourself. Remember, we have only one life to live - and it's your choice how you want to live it. And it's better to separate now than it is when you are 50 or 60.. you still have many more years of life in you. 40 is still pretty young! If you live to 80, that's 40 more years to live!!!

So, how do you want to spend the next 40 years of your life? In freedom and finding happiness, or in misery, chained to a horrible marriage?