Elena apologized. The pressure eased.
By summer, Miguel and Sofia had resumed sharing the primary bedroom, though not all at once. It began when the guest-room air conditioner failed during a heat wave and Miguel slept on the couch. Then, after repair, he stayed in the primary room one night because Lucia had a nightmare and crawled between them. Neither adult wanted her to wake to another visible symbol of distance. The next night Miguel returned to the guest room.
Two weeks later, he moved back permanently.
Physical proximity did not mean restored intimacy. They rebuilt that more slowly, with conversations that were awkward enough to feel honest. Sofia learned not to ask, "Are we okay?" after every good weekend. Miguel learned not to use Daniel's name as a weapon during unrelated disagreements. Ben Cole stopped them whenever conflict became scorekeeping.
"If every problem becomes the affair," he said, "then the affair remains the most powerful member of this marriage." Miguel hated the phrase and remembered it. Their first major setback came in August.