‘Sitting here alone’: Jennifer Lopez’s 1st anniversary message to Ben Affleck seemed prescient

As Lopez and Affleck spent their second wedding anniversary 3,000 miles apart, much was made of the fact that she didn't acknowledge this relationship milestone on social media, as she had for their first anniversary.

By Wednesday morning, the world has probably learned that the marital strains between Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have become so apparent that the estranged couple marked their two-year anniversary on opposite sides of the country — she in the Hamptons and he in Los Angeles — and without either of them making an effort to publicly acknowledge their relationship milestone.

This lack of public acknowledgement of their July 16 anniversary — commemorating the day in 2022 they eloped to Las Vegas — may seem especially surprising when it comes to Lopez. After all, the singer/actor/influencer/mega-star is famous for using Instagram, her fan newsletter, her recent music and her self-financed documentaries to tout news about her love story with Affleck.

But given that Lopez doesn’t seem to have happy news to share right now, it’s understandable that she would stay silent and not even post something “cryptic” about the anniversary,  TMZ noted.

It’s also easy to look back at the previous time she gushed about a wedding anniversary with Affleck and to discover the extent to which her August 2023 message, marking their first anniversary, was suffused with a sense of disbelief. There’s also a line in her message that evokes loneliness, perhaps proving prescient about the reportedly “crumbling marriage” she now finds herself in.

To mark her first anniversary with the “Argo” actor and director, Lopez went on Instagram to share glamorous photos from their lavish wedding ceremony and reception at his estate in Georgia — which followed their Las Vegas nuptials a month earlier.

“Dear Ben,” Lopez began her Instagram message.

Actually, Lopez was sharing a portion of the lyrics to “Dear Ben, Part II,” one of her love songs to Affleck. The song was written to celebrate their rekindled romance, some 20 years after they were first involved in a high-profile romance and became engaged, but broke things off in 2004.

“Sitting here alone,” Lopez’s song continues. ” Looking at my ring ring/ Feeling overwhelmed/It makes me wanna sing sing.” But almost in disbelief, Lopez’s song asks: “How did we end up here/ Without a rewind/Oh my/This is my life…”

In the song, Lopez also proclaims that they were each other’s “missing piece” and asserts that they now “see eye to eye.” She also promises, “I’m committed, I’m in it, admit it, I adore you.”

Perhaps as a consolation to people who want to believe that Lopez and Affleck’s current reported marital woes are temporary, she also sings, “And we don’t gotta speak / Even miles apart / We’re never out of reach.”

Perhaps the “miles apart” line offers one way to look at their current geographical separation. She’s been spending time on the East Coast, after enjoying a solo trip to Europe last month. Meanwhile, Affleck has stayed in Los Angeles, even after filming for his new movie, “The Accountant 2,” has reportedly wrapped.

It’s been widely reported this week that Lopez spent the second anniversary of her Las Vegas wedding by going on a solo bike ride in the Hamptons Tuesday. Meanwhile, Affleck was spotted in Los Angeles, 3,000 miles away, going to his office. Later Tuesday, the “Hustlers” star was photographed in Southampton, N.Y., looking “stern” while riding in the passenger seat of a vintage Mercedes-Benz with her longtime manager, Benny Medina, at the wheel, Page Six reported. 

These sightings come days after Lopez and Affleck put their massive Beverly Hills mansion on the market for “a whopping $68 million,” the Daily Mail said. Back in May, it was reported that Affleck had moved out of the mansion and was living in a $100,000-per-month rental home in Brentwood, near the home of his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, and their three children.

But Page Six has since reported that Lopez and Affleck actually broke up in March, but kept the split under wraps so as to not distract from the release of her new album, “This is Me … Now,” along with her complementary films,  “This is Me … Now: A Love Story” and “The Greatest Love Story Never Told.” Lopez also was in the midst of preparing for a national “This is Me … Now” concert tour, but canceled amidst report of slow ticket sales.

Fans hopeful of a reconciliation could read something in the fact that Lopez spent part of her Hamptons holiday with Affleck’s oldest daughter Violet, 18. Lopez and Violet were photographed together over the weekend in Southampton, with their arms wrapped around each other outside a Main Street restaurant, Page Six reported. They also spent time together at an East Hampton antiques and design show.

In another sign the marriage isn’t yet over — at least not yet — Lopez was seen on her solo bike ride Tuesday wearing her wedding ring, TMZ reported.

Then again, the Daily Mail opined that her wedding-ring-wearing was her way of “clinging to a crumbling marriage.” TMZ also said it’s not surprising that Lopez didn’t post anything on social media regarding her wedding anniversary, even something “cryptic.” Citing sources “with direct knowledge,” TMZ has been reported that  Lopez and Affleck are “headed for divorce,” with the recent public listing of their Beverly Hills mansion as “the next big step towards a legal split.”