In a candid and emotional chat, Melinda French Gates has opened up about the moment she knew it was time to walk away from her marriage to Bill Gates — and it all started with a dream.

Speaking with entrepreneur Jamie Kern Lima, the philanthropist reflected on how her subconscious sent a crystal-clear message after troubling revelations about her then-husband came to light.

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“I have a very rich dream life,” Melinda said during the interview, which aired Thursday. “Some dreams take years to decode, but the recurring ones? Those I know I have to pay attention to.”

After an article emerged suggesting Bill Gates had not only betrayed their marriage but clashed with her core values, the emotional weight began to manifest in her sleep.

In one vivid dream, Melinda found herself on the edge of a cliff — along with Bill and their children. But then, the ground beneath her feet crumbled. “I was falling into a pit,” she recalled, “and they were still standing safely on the edge.”

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Though the imagery was intense, Melinda said she woke up with a rare sense of clarity. “I wasn’t worried about my kids. They were safe. But I knew then — I needed to do something different. I needed to be on my own.”

Laughing softly, she added, “It didn’t take Freud to figure that one out.”

Melinda and Bill Gates announced their divorce in 2021, ending a 27-year marriage that had been closely watched by the world. While their split shocked many, Melinda’s latest interview offers a more personal look into the quiet, inner strength it took to walk away — not just from a partner, but from a life built over decades.

The dream, she said, was more than symbolic. “It was a message I couldn’t ignore. And I didn’t.”