“What?”
He looked into my eyes.
“My character.”
The room became silent.
Outside, a neighbor’s lawn mower hummed. Morning light touched the old scratches Daniel had made across the coffee table with toy cars when he was five.
“Where is Vanessa now?” I asked.
“At the hotel.”
“Are you returning?”
He hesitated.
“Yes. To talk.”
My heart tightened, though I nodded.
Daniel noticed.
“Not to pretend nothing happened.”
“Then why?”
“Because I married her yesterday. That carries legal and emotional consequences. I need to decide what happens next with a clear mind, not only anger.”
That sounded like the man I had once hoped he would become.
“What are you asking from me?”
He lowered his eyes.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“I’m not asking for the lake house. I’m not asking you to forgive Vanessa. I’m not even asking you to forgive me today.”
He opened his empty hands.
