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.

“I didn’t mean for you to hear that,” she said quietly.

I gripped the edge of the counter.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked. “Why didn’t you tell me you were seeing someone?”

She sighed deeply. “It’s complicated, Ethan.”

“Complicated?” I repeated. “You stayed in my house while you’re seeing someone else. Do you realize how that feels?”

She stood and began pacing the kitchen.

“I didn’t know how to explain it,” she said. “I didn’t want to hurt you, but I couldn’t keep pretending either.”

I swallowed hard.

Then I asked the question that had been haunting me since midnight.

“Who is he?”

Laura hesitated before answering.

“You know him.”