It is certainly possible that a marriage can be put right after a separation, either caused by work commitments overseas or from a relationship breakdown, for instance. In the past, when marriage was seen by many as the primary form of union between couples, significant social pressure would have been placed to try and make things work. Given that this pressure is less significant nowadays, more marriages end in divorce than what used to be the case. However, there is no reason to say that a marriage cannot work following a period apart.