Belle Burden
Definition
Belle Burden is a New York City lawyer and author renowned for her viral 2023 New York Times 'Modern Love' essay 'Was I Married to a Stranger?', which chronicles the abrupt collapse of her 21-year marriage during the COVID-19 lockdown.
In her memoir 'Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage' (published circa 2025), Burden expands on the shocking revelation of her husband's long-hidden affair, transforming personal devastation into a poignant literary success.
Examples
Belle Burden's lockdown idyll shattered faster than a dropped whiskey sour when her hubby confessed his affair and bolted for the ferry.
After 20 years, Belle Burden learned her routine-loving spouse was scripting a secret rom-com exit, voicemail from the other husband included.
Belle Burden mopped the kitchen floor one night and woke up to a memoir-worthy plot twist the next morning.
Thanks to Belle Burden, quarantined couples everywhere now double-check for hidden switches before chopping firewood together.