Opinion : Melinda French Gates and the Burden of Proximity

When the Epstein court documents resurfaced, they reopened wounds that were never truly healed. For Melinda French Gates, the renewed mention of her former husband, Bill Gates, alongside Jeffrey Epstein was not just news-it was a reminder of “very painful” moments from her marriage.

This story examines shame by association, the quiet emotional toll borne by women married to powerful men, and the boundary Melinda now draws between herself and a history that was never hers to own.