He sounded genuinely surprised.
But there was another question I needed answered.
“Ethan,” I said, “even if David had moved out, why have you been hiding your conversations with Vanessa from me?”
He turned.
“Claire, this isn’t the time.”
I glanced at the three people standing in front of me.
“Then when is the time?”
He rubbed his forehead.
“Vanessa needed support.”
“What kind of support?”
He looked toward her.
She didn’t answer.
I continued.
“You told me you were discussing Noah’s schoolwork. You told me the long errands were about things Noah needed. You told me the late-night calls were urgent parenting matters.”
“They started that way,” Ethan said.
I went very still.
David looked at him.
“What does that mean?”
Ethan lowered his head.
Vanessa began crying.
And when my husband finally spoke, I realized he had been carrying a secret far more serious than a dinner reservation.
“Claire,” he whispered, “Vanessa and I crossed a line.”
David pulled out a chair.
“What line?”
Nobody answered immediately.
Then Ethan sat opposite him.
“Vanessa and I started talking more a few months ago. At first, it was about Noah.”
I leaned against the desk.
“And afterward?”
“She was having problems with her marriage. I was trying to help.”
