There was something more going on here.
Guilt?
Regret?
Fear?
Whatever Noah had seen, it hadn’t ended when Marcus walked out the door.
Somehow… that felt even worse.
I stared at Amber. “Why were you crying?”
Somehow… that felt even worse.
“Sweetheart, he’s five. He mixes everything up. Please don’t do this here.”
“I’m not doing anything yet.”
Marcus was already reaching for his jacket on the back of the chair.
“You know, I should probably head out. Early meeting tomorrow. Amber, thanks for the lovely evening.”
“Sit down, Marcus.”
My voice came out lower than I expected.
“Please don’t do this here.”
He froze halfway out of his seat. “Excuse me?”
“I said sit down. We’re not finished.”
Around us, the guests had become statues.
My mother gripped her napkin.
Amber’s coworker, a young woman named Jenna, stared into her plate like it held the secrets of the universe.
I stared at Amber. “Were you crying because you regretted cheating on me?”
“We’re not finished.”
Amber looked into my eyes and I saw something break inside her.
She shook her head.
“I was crying because I couldn’t see a way out.”
Marcus finally spoke. “I think we should discuss this privately.”
“No,” I said. “You don’t get privacy anymore.”
Noah wrung his hands. “Mommy kept saying she didn’t want to.”
