After watching my sister balance a demanding career and a marriage for years, I've come to believe that a successful long-term relationship requires partners to treat each other more like teammates than soulmates. The romantic ideal fades, but the daily logistics—who cooks, who handles the in-laws, whose career takes priority—are what actually hold couples together. Given how many marriages I see fail over unmet expectations, shouldn't we stop chasing the fairytale and focus on building a practical partnership instead?