Sarah did not answer.
“Exactly.”
She said finally.
Which made no sense.
I began running after work because anxiety had made sleeping difficult.
Three miles.
Then five.
I listened to podcasts so I would not think.
At night, Sarah edited in the spare room.
Sometimes until two.
I lay awake hearing her laugh quietly at messages.
One evening, I walked in carrying tea.
She slammed her laptop shut.
Too fast.
We stared at each other.
“What?”
She asked.
“You tell me.”
“I’m working.”
“You closed your laptop like I walked in on classified government documents.”
Sarah’s face went cold.
“You don’t trust me.”
I almost laughed.
“I’m trying to.”
“Then try harder.”
That sentence broke something.
Not enough to leave.
Enough that I stopped feeling guilty for noticing.
Two weeks later, Dave Chen called.
Dave had known both of us almost from the beginning.
He worked in video production and moved through the same creative circles Sarah did.
“You okay?”
He asked.
“Sure.”
“Mark.”
“What?”
Long pause.
“Never mind.”
“No.”
“Say it.”
“I don’t want to get involved.”
“You already called.”
Another pause.
“I saw Sarah and Alex at Mira Bar.”
I stopped walking.
“When?”
“Last night.”
“She told me she was editing with Melissa.”
Dave said nothing.
“How were they acting?”
“Close.”
“What does close mean?”
“Mark.”
“Say it.”
“They looked like a couple.”
Everything inside me went quiet.
“Did you see them kiss?”
“No.”
“Touch?”
“He had his hand on her leg.”
I closed my eyes.
“Okay.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thanks for telling me.”
That evening, Sarah came home at seven.
She looked happy.
Bright.
That new smile.
She set her camera bag on the kitchen counter.
I was sitting at the table.
No laptop.
No television.
Nothing.
Sarah immediately knew.
“What?”
I looked at her.
“Tell me.”
Her face changed.
Not fear.
Decision.
The expression of someone who had rehearsed a conclusion and now realized the presentation had moved up.
“Mark.”
“Just tell me.”
She slowly removed her jacket.
Sat opposite me.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then:
“This isn’t working.”
My stomach dropped anyway.
Even knowing does not remove impact.
“What isn’t?”
“Us.”
“Okay.”
She looked irritated by how calm I sounded.
“Can we not do the logical thing right now?”
“What would you prefer?”
“Honesty.”
“Great.”
“I’ve been asking for it.”
Sarah inhaled.
“There’s someone else.”
I looked at the table.
“Alex.”
“Yes.”