It wasn't like I kept quiet about it. More than once I'd stewed in silence, then told her she needed to maintain boundaries. That there had to be limits between a man and a woman.
She'd just laughed and called me old-fashioned. Said I was a grown man with the pettiest heart she'd ever seen.
"Lucas and I have known each other since we were twelve. If anything was going to happen between us, would I have married you?"
That day she'd vanished for three days. Wouldn't pick up. Wouldn't text back. I was the one who apologized. I was the one who promised I'd stop overthinking. That was what it took to bring her back.
I compromised again and again. Told myself again and again that I was reading too much into things. That marriage meant giving each other space. That trust was the foundation.
Until that stack of movie ticket stubs, cheap props from a bad stage play, made me realize her acting had never been convincing. I'd just been too deep in the role to notice.
The next morning, Sonia was up early. I didn't know how to face her, so I kept my eyes shut and pretended to be asleep.
From the living room, her voice came in a low murmur. Lucas's name still carried through the walls.
"Okay."