When he saw the suitcase near the front door, he smiled.
“You really are taking this well.”
I looked at him.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
He seemed unable to answer.
At seven o’clock, Nancy and Alex arrived.
Nancy wore a cream-colored dress and carried a small overnight bag. She hugged me tightly, but her embrace felt stiff and unfamiliar.
Alex shook my hand.
“Are you sure you’re comfortable with all this?” he asked quietly.
Before I could answer, Sean interrupted.
“Of course she is. We’ve all agreed.”
I looked at Alex.
His expression suggested that he had been given a different version of events from the one his wife had received.
That was the first sign that this arrangement was already beginning to fall apart.
We sat in the living room. Sean talked enthusiastically about the supposed benefits of trying something new, while Nancy avoided looking directly at me.
