Whose rules are you playing by? It's funny how we all feel obliged to abide by regulations and requirements, even when we don't understand them - and even when those around us are just as baffled by their apparent irrelevance. You suspect that there's nothing you can now do about a difficult situation. In fact, though, there's plenty. You just have to question an old assumption and be brave enough to apply a different set of standards. In your emotional life  you have the power to rewrite the rulebook.