My ex-wife came to see our son. She ended up staying the night. I let her sleep on the couch. After midnight, I heard something I wasn’t supposed to hear.

But we weren’t.

When the movie ended, Laura looked down at Mason with a soft expression I remembered well. Then she slowly stood up.

“I should head out,” she said.

“It’s almost ten,” I pointed out. “And Durham’s forty minutes away.”

“I’ll be fine.”

I shook my head. “Just stay here tonight. The couch pulls out. You’ll be back tomorrow morning anyway.”

She studied my face for a moment before nodding.

“Okay.”

I set up the pull-out couch and left extra blankets on the armrest. After tucking Mason into bed, I went to my room. It felt strange having Laura in the house again, even temporarily. Part of me wondered how two people who once shared everything could end up as distant as we were now.

Eventually, I fell asleep.