Dear Debbie

Debbie Mullen is coming apart. For years, she has poured her wisdom into her advice column, Dear Debbie, the place New England wives turn for comfort, commiseration, and sensible guidance. Through her letters, Debbie has heard every story imaginable — women dismissed, diminished, and sometimes abused by the men who claim to love them. And she has always tried to point them toward the right choice.

Or at least, she used to.

Now Debbie’s own life is unraveling. She’s been fired. Her teenage daughters are acting strangely. And her husband (according to the tracking app she installed on his phone) is hiding something. After years of being calm, understanding, and endlessly forgiving, Debbie is done playing the bigger person. She’s done being practical. It’s time to start following her own advice.

And that means payback for every person in her life who’s earned it.