“Why?”
“Because you’re upset.”
“I’m devastated.”
“That’s what I mean.”
The husband unlocked his phone.
His wife reached for his wrist.
He pulled away.
“Do not touch me right now.”
Her hand dropped.
He called.
The business partner answered on the third ring.
“Brother.”
The word almost made the husband hang up.
Instead he said:
“Come to my house.”
A pause.
“You good?”
The husband stared at his wife.
“No.”
Another pause.
“What happened?”
“Come here.”
“When?”
“Now.”
The partner hesitated.
“I’m about forty minutes away.”
“You have twenty.”
The husband ended the call.
His wife stared.
“This is a mistake.”
“No.”
“You’re too emotional.”
“I have been emotionally controlled for most of my adult life.”
He looked at her.
“That is probably part of why you cheated.”
She flinched.
“But do not mistake control for weakness.”
The husband walked toward the staircase.
“Where are you going?”
“To talk to our daughter.”
The wife moved after him.
“No.”
He turned.
“What?”
“We should decide what to tell her together.”
The husband stared.
“You want cooperation now?”
“That’s not fair.”
“Correct.”
His voice remained calm.
“Very little about tonight is fair.”
He walked upstairs.
Their daughter sat on her bed.
She was holding a stuffed rabbit she had owned since she was three.
When her father entered, she looked up.
Her eyes were already wet.
“Are you getting divorced?”
The husband sat beside her.
“I don’t know yet.”
She looked frightened.
“Did Mom do something?”
He did not answer immediately.
He could tell the truth without giving a child adult details.
“Yes.”
“What?”
“Something that hurt our marriage.”
The girl stared.
“Did you do something?”
The question surprised him.
He thought carefully.
“I made mistakes.”
“Like what?”
“I worked too much.”
She waited.
“I didn’t always listen well.”
“Is that why Mom is crying?”
“Partly.”
The girl hugged the rabbit.
“Are you mad at her?”
“Yes.”
She looked down.
“Do you still love her?”
The husband could not answer quickly.
That frightened his daughter more.
Finally he said:
“Yes.”
The truth surprised even him.
He loved his wife.
That was why the betrayal hurt.
If love disappeared instantly when someone failed you, heartbreak would be easy.
The girl looked at him.
“Then why can’t you just fix it?”
The husband swallowed.
“Because loving somebody does not automatically repair trust.”
She frowned.
“What’s trust?”
He thought.
“Believing someone will protect what you give them.”
The girl looked at her rabbit.
“Like a secret?”
“Yes.”
“Did Mom tell a secret?”
The husband shook his head.
“She broke one.”
Their daughter did not fully understand.
Good.
She did not need to.
The husband kissed her forehead.
“You did nothing wrong.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Are you leaving?”
“Not tonight.”