Here is what I am -- a kept woman. No, my "keeper" isn't married. And while he once owned yachts and jets and Ferrari's, etc....at this point in time, he's not even what most would call wealthy. He's been in my life since I was 23 years old and briefly married to his ex-business partner. My keeper, we'll call him Bryan -- has been sleeping with me off and on since 6 months after my divorce. It's been 16 years now. For the first 3 years, we were pretty much constantly together. It was the 90's; there were drugs, there were threesomes and inevitably there was rehab and a break up. Since then, he and I have both been involved in serious long-term relationships with other people. But after my last break up; 7 years ago -- Bryan and I got "back together". I use quotation marks because when we got back together his girlfriend was living with him. I went through an emotional break up and I wanted to return to school. Bryan offered to help me financially and I accepted. At the time, I wasn't the only girl he had on the side. In fact, at 36, I wasn't a "girl" at all. His extra curricular girls were in their early twenties and his live-in girlfriend was 30. He was 52.  It's been years since I returned to school. I had two surgeries that put me out of school for about a year and one attempt to leave him --- but I couldn't make enough money in my job as a caregiver to make ends meet and I eventually came back to him at his invitation, so that I could return to school. Now I've got 16 months left and I recently discovered he has another girflriend -- this one is 28 (I can't compete with that). And I don't know how to react. I could break up with him. But then I'd have to drop out of school. Or I can stay with him for 16 months. But I don't know how to do it without losing my mind. I feel like a stupid bitch for thinking he'd ever change for me. But a year ago, he had a heart attack and I save his life. I thought he had changed. And I've believed I was more of a girlfriend and less of a kept woman for the past year. Then I saw his pix with this girl all over FB -- and I know he tells her he loves her and that she is his girlfrieind. My pride is hurt. My feelings are hurt. I feel like I have no dignity and I don't know how to get through this next 16 months. But I feel like I should because if I don't graduate, I will never be able to support myself. I don't qualify for grants, other than the PELL grant and during the semester, there is literally NO time to work even on a part-time basis. I am in a Fast -track nursing program. Also, I live in a small town and there are practically zero job opportunities and I have an old, unreliable car which can't be trusted to get me to the closest "big" town for a job because that would be 85 mile daily round trip drive. Anyway, Im rambling. And I feel like a dumb (and cheap) bitch. It's not like I"m living in the lap of luxury. He pays $12000 of my bills throughout the year. And I'm grateful for it. But I feel like that's a low price for my soul.