“We need to discuss our marriage,” I said. “And we need to discuss how we’re going to protect Mason from being caught in the middle of it.”
“I know I made a mistake.”
“No,” I replied. “You made a series of choices. The announcement was just the first time I heard them out loud.”
He went silent.
I told him that I wanted an honest account of what had happened, a clear separation of our finances while we worked through the next steps, and a parenting arrangement that put Mason’s emotional well-being first.
I wasn’t going to use our son to punish him.
I wasn’t going to make promises about the future that I couldn’t keep.
But I was done pretending that our marriage was fine simply because Tyler was good at sounding convincing.
“I love you,” he said eventually.
I closed my eyes.
“Maybe you do, Tyler. But love without honesty isn’t enough to build a marriage on.”
