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When her mother was diagnosed with an incurable cancer, Elizabeth Koster found herself burdened with a stressful task: find a husband, fast.

Ms. Koster’s mother wanted her daughter to be taken care of after her death and saw an engagement ring as a “talisman from harm.” And Ms. Koster wanted to fall in love for her mother’s sake, so she poured herself into an ill-matched relationship before finally admitting that it was doomed.

On this week’s Modern Love podcast, the actress Sarah Goldberg reads Ms. Koster’s essay, “Agreeing to Accept and Move On.” Ms. Goldberg plays Sally Reed on HBO’s “Barry.” Ms. Koster teaches writing in New York City and is currently working on a memoir. Stay tuned after the reading to hear more from her, Ms. Goldberg and the Modern Love editor Daniel Jones.

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