Love Letter: Does codependency need a rebrand?
Plus, if a couple splits, who controls the embryos?
Love Letter
May 29, 2026

Erin Millender had already spent several years trying in vitro fertilization. Now in her mid-40s, she knew she was running out of time. She decided to try it one last time. That was when the doctor delivered the news: Her husband had revoked consent, and she could no longer make a baby with his DNA.

Click on the link below to learn more about the contentious new debate that’s dividing courts and couples across the country. You’ll also find links to an interview with Olivia Rodrigo about her latest album and a Modern Love essay on why men shouldn’t put photos of cats in their dating profiles.

P.S. Know people who need a Love Letter? Forward today’s newsletter their way.

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Kim Raff for The New York Times

Custody Battle

They started I.V.F., and then split. Who gets custody of the embryos?

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Modern Love

Men, hide your cats.

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My wife disappeared into El Salvador’s prison system. When will she come home?

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Assignment: Romance

She was covering President Biden. He was protecting him. Love took flight.

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Michelle Groskopf for The New York Times

Modern Love Podcast

Is codependency good? The filmmaking duo Mark Duplass and Katie Aselton sure think so.

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Caroline Tompkins for The New York Times

A Breakup Album

Olivia Rodrigo tried writing love songs. Then life got messy.

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My partner won’t tell me who will get “our” house if he dies. Can I press him?

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After years of near misses, a match that felt “like divine timing.”

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My partner’s irresponsible mother asked him to guarantee her lease. Help!

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Read “Yesteryear,” a novel about a tradwife who wakes up in 1855, with the Book Review.

Warm your heart with our best stories on love, sex and relationships. Some will make you cry. Some might make you blush.

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Warm your heart with our best stories on love, sex and relationships. Some will make you cry. Some might make you blush.

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This newsletter was written by Matt Yan and edited by Jessica Anderson.

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