An Australian mother-of-two has opened up about meeting her “soulmate” while on a work trip with her husband and the decision that led her to leave her marriage, only to be rejected.
Amanda Trenfield, who lives in Sydney, wanted to reconnect with her husband after 14 years together, which prompted her to attend his three-day labor conference in Margaret River, Western Australia.
But at dinner on the very first night, Amanda looked ‘Jason’ in the eye and immediately felt a spark of chemistry, much stronger than anything she’d felt before.
A month later, she left her husband — having not spoken to Jason since the incident — in search of her “soulmate,” only to find out he didn’t want a relationship with her.
In her aptly named memoir, When A Soulmate Says No, Amanda describes meeting her partner, the connection she felt with him, and what happened after she was left stranded without a man.
Amanda Trenfield, who lives in Sydney, wanted to reconnect with her husband after 14 years together, which prompted her to attend his three-day labor conference in Margaret River, Western Australia
After engaging in “free-flowing” conversation with Jason over dinner that first night, Amanda returned to the couple’s hotel only to find her mysterious soulmate offering her – and her husband – a drink.
“It happened to be my favorite rose. And as the evening wore on, we just kept talking … there was a depth of connection that I just hadn’t felt before,” Amanda told Mia Freedman on the No Filter podcast.
The next morning, Amanda called Jason’s room to ask if he would like to have a conversation about her feelings, to which he was committed. They went for a bush walk while her husband attended the conference.
“I opened up the conversation with, ‘I felt weird and very connected to you last night,’ and he said he felt the same way,” she said.
They exchanged “a few kisses” throughout the morning before parting, unsure if – or when – they would see each other again.
After engaging in “free-flowing” conversation with Jason over dinner that first night, Amanda returned to the couple’s hotel only to find her mysterious soulmate offering her – and her husband – a drink
Amanda describes how that morning changed the course of her life, but not in the way she expected.
A few weeks later, she told her husband their marriage was over before reaching out to Jason to see if he would like to get back in touch.
After initially agreeing to see her, Jason emailed the next morning to say it was best not to see her or to keep in touch.
“He was there in those moments and felt the connection as much as I did. He felt the kiss as did I. But he decided to say no and move on with his life without looking back,” she said.
Amanda’s decisions sparked a viral discussion among commenters on Twitter, who were shocked at how she “blew up” her life. One wrote: ‘Never in my life have I met anyone romanticizing a one night stand that *didn’t even happen*’.
Amanda’s decisions sparked a viral discussion among commenters on Twitter, who were shocked at how she “blew up” her life. One wrote: ‘Never in my life have I met anyone romanticizing a one night stand that *didn’t even happen*’
One commented: “She was convinced they had a connection but I don’t see any evidence of that. She just projected onto a random guy because she was unhappy. What we were all there for, but we don’t uproot our lives for it.’
A third added: “Yeah, the ‘I left my husband’s kids of 14 to live my life with you after I met you once because you’re my soul mate’ came across as maybe a bit strong, no.” Wonder he said, um, no.’
One commenter argued that Amanda’s kids may need therapy after reading her book as they grow older, writing, “I want to read the ‘two little kids’ POV when they grow up.”
Another commented: “Therapist: Why are you here today? Kid: *SLIPS this book on the table*’
However, others defended Amanda’s decision to leave their marriage.
“I don’t really find it embarrassing. She obviously hated her life and a crush’s emotional surge was all it took to end it all,” one wrote.
Another said: “This seems normal and fine, maybe I’m missing something? I understand falling into limerence and being rejected is embarrassing, but is that worse than staying in an unhappy marriage?