[elevatedastalt]

For most of human civilization, marriages _were_ mergers and acquisitions. Over the course of your married life you developed love through mutual companionship. The idea of them being primarily driven by romance and love is a very recent artifact. In many ways it's also an incomplete and somewhat inimical development, because I've observed modern couples ignore aspects of duty, responsibility, service etc. that are central to building a life together, and obsess just singularly over love or attraction.