DEAR ANNIE Husband wants a divorce only to remarry after a year

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for 29 years. Three years ago, I discovered that he was having an affair. He claimed that the affair was ending anyway and that he loved me. We went to counseling, but after about nine months, he said he wanted a divorce. I was devastated. We filled out and signed divorce papers that he had printed online, but he said he wasn’t going to file them yet.

One day he asked me whether I could give him an estimate of when I would be moving out. A few days after that, I happened to drive past a town house for sale, and within a couple of days, I had decided to buy it. Because we were not yet divorced, I had to ask my husband for help, which he gave. Amazingly, though, he asked me whether I was buying the town house for me to live in or for us!

The town house is in my name only, and I have been living here for a little over a year. Since I moved out, however, rarely has a day gone by when my husband hasn’t come over to spend time with me. We spend the evenings watching TV, go out to dinner and otherwise behave like a married couple. He filed the divorce papers the day I moved out, but when we both were notified of a court date, he canceled it, and the divorce was dropped. Since then, he has brought up three or four times that he wants us to get a divorce but live together like a married couple because he wants a chance to woo me back and prove how much he loves me. Each time, I was very hurt and cut off communication with him, and each time, he would plead with me to give him another chance.

Last night, he brought over divorce papers, which I signed. I told him that he’d better let the divorce proceed this time. Oh, and the kicker? He wants to retire in a year and a half and then get married again! Am I crazy, or is he? Tired of the Yo-Yo

Dear Tired of the Yo-Yo: You’re not crazy — but it would certainly be understandable if you were a little crazy after all your husband has put you through.

You need to move on, but he’ll make sure that’s impossible as long as he’s around. So it’s important that you discontinue contact with him until your wounds fully heal. If you don’t already have a divorce attorney, consider hiring one. He or she could be his point of contact.

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators .com.