Two couples found happiness after going through divorces and choosing to live together, pushing the limits of what modern relationships can look like.
Ethical non-monogamy isn’t a new idea. The concept of more than two people in a relationship has probably been around as long as relationships themselves.
But in recent years, more people have felt comfortable exploring this idea, asking their partners about the possibility of expanding their relationship while still staying committed to each other.
This shift has even influenced new legislation.
In Somerville, Massachusetts, back in 2023, the first multiple-partner domestic partnership ordinance was passed.
This law recognized that people in polyamorous relationships didn’t have access to protections like health insurance for their partners, which are typically available to married couples.
One group that decided to explore these new possibilities included married couple Rachel and Kyle Wright.
After several years of marriage, they chose to dive into the world of polyamory in 2019.
Rachel, a 34-year-old marriage and family therapist living in New York, told Insider that she and Kyle had been curious about polyamory since they first got together.
She explained, “But because our society is so mono-normative, I didn’t really have the courage to say, ‘Yes, this is what I want,’ and neither did Kyle.”
When they finally decided to explore this path, they went all in.
They downloaded the Feeld app, designed for people looking for diverse dating experiences, and listened to podcasts on the subject.
As they began dating other people, Rachel, who is bisexual, shared that Kyle also publicly came out as bisexual.
She added, “I found so much joy in watching Kyle blossom, and was feeling more and more like myself. It was just so fun.”
Their plans were briefly paused by the pandemic, though they continued to date online.
This eventually led them to meet another married couple, Yair Lenchner and Ashley Giddens.
The four hit it off, and once lockdown restrictions eased, they began going on socially-distanced dates and eventually merged their pods.
They alternated between date nights at each other’s homes.
Even though Kyle and Yair’s relationship was platonic, they grew closer with each hangout, which Rachel described as a “whirlwind.”
About 18 months after they first met, the four decided to move in together. They truly lived as a family, adopting a puppy and setting up a chore schedule for the house.
Despite being in what they considered a strong polycule, they realized that their marriages weren’t benefiting them in practical ways.
For example, Rachel and Kyle were contributing to Yair and Ashley’s mortgage without building any equity.
They sought advice from lawyer Diana Adams, the executive director of the Chosen Family Law Center, who has been at the forefront of multiple-partner domestic partnership laws.
Although New York hasn’t adopted similar ordinances yet, the two couples decided to divorce in order to get one step closer to being recognized as a polycule.
This allowed them to be listed individually on a cohabitation agreement.
Adams explained, “With domestic partnerships, you don’t entangle your finances like marriage. In some ways, I think that’s a good thing.”
Unfortunately, Kyle has since separated from the foursome. They said it was a mutual decision, with Rachel sharing on Instagram that he “wants to do some work on himself and figure out who he is.”
“Is this permanent? I don’t know. Maybe,” she said. “But, for now, and for the foreseeable future, Kyle will be living in Brooklyn and Yair, Ash, and I are going to stay at our house.”
