For all practical purposes, desertion and abandonment are one and the same. There are two elements that have to be present in order to constitute desertion: the willful desire or the intent to desert and the cutting off of the marital relationship. In Maryland, the abandonment has: continued for 12 uninterrupted months; must be willful and malicious; beyond any reasonable expectation of reconciliation. There are two types of desertion-actual desertion and constructive desertion.