I Married a 'Good Person,' So Why Am I Not Happy?

'It wasn't that my partner was bad. Yet, I couldn't find happiness.' The loneliness that deepened with each marriage. The self-questioning of 'Why only me?' If that stemmed from psychological patterns of dependency, self-pity, and shifting responsibility—author Aya Karahashi has sublimated the pain of her five marriages and four divorces into a 'starting point for self-transformation.' She can now say, 'I am the happiest I have ever been.' This book condenses her entire journey and practical wisdom. It is the long-awaited follow-up to her previous work, which garnered attention in the June 2025 issue of Fujin Koron. The book was born from the author's realization that seeking a partner to 'make her happy' only led to repeated dissatisfaction. After finding a new path as a beauty expert through an esthetic school, she regained her self-esteem and wrote this as a 'practical guide' for women suffering from the same issues. Each chapter includes 'practical exercises' that readers can start today. The book consists of seven chapters, delving into the illusions of marriage, dependency, self-pity, shifting responsibility, how to create non-dependent love, 'Three-Dimensional Beauty,' and the realization of happiness. Her unique approach of 'Three-Dimensional Beauty' (outer, inner, and spiritual) explains how grooming the exterior leads to inner transformation. The author encourages readers by stating, 'Happiness was always within me,' and that one can bloom again regardless of past failures.