Chapter 13 - THE MARRIAGE
Emily and Michael spent fourteen months separated.
Co-parenting first.
Marriage later.
Michael said:
“I don’t know whether I can trust you.”
Emily answered:
“I understand.”
No demand for forgiveness.
Then he asked:
“Why did you never tell me after Noah was born?”
Emily answered honestly.
“Because every day made it worse.”
Not enough.
Then:
“And because I liked watching you love him without complication.”
That hurt.
Michael looked away.
Emily continued:
“I wanted the life more than I wanted honesty.”
There.
The cleanest sentence.
Michael eventually said:
“I would have stayed.”
Emily cried.
“You don’t know that.”
“No.”
He thought.
“You’re right.”
That was important.
Alternate histories were fantasies.
Maybe he would have left.
Maybe not.
The point was:
Emily denied him the choice.
Then Michael asked:
“Do you still want this marriage?”
“Yes.”
“Even if I never forgive the way you did it?”
Emily swallowed.
“Yes.”
May you like
They started rebuilding.
Slowly.
