Nolan glanced toward the empty side of the booth.
“Can I sit?”
Something in his expression made me uneasy.
“Sure.”
He sat.
Then he looked directly at me.
“I need to tell you something, and you’re probably going to hate me for it.”
Gabe lowered his beer.
Nolan continued.
“I don’t know what Chloe is telling your family.”
I felt my stomach tighten.
“But Ethan isn’t saying anything publicly, and it’s destroying him.”
“What do you mean?”
“He knows your parents hate him.”
“I mean, you left her.”
Nolan stared.
“Leo.”
“What?”
“Ethan didn’t leave because he checked out.”
I waited.
“He found out Chloe had been cheating on him.”
Every sound in the bar seemed to recede.
I laughed once.
Not because it was funny.
Because my brain rejected the sentence.
“What?”
“Seven months.”
“No.”
“Guy named Julian.”
I stared at him.
Nolan did not look away.
“Ethan found the messages on her iPad.”
I could feel something cold moving through my chest.
“She left it synced to her phone.”
“Hotel reservations.”
“Photos.”
“Messages.”
“Everything.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
“Leo, I saw some of it.”
“Why would she say Ethan refused counseling?”
Nolan gave a bitter laugh.
“He didn’t.”
“He begged her.”
My throat tightened.
“What?”
“Ethan wanted counseling.”
“He wanted to save the marriage.”
“He told her he’d try if she ended things with Julian.”
Nolan leaned forward.
“She refused.”
I sat completely still.
Gabe did not say a word.
Then Nolan added:
“That’s not even the worst part.”
I almost did not want to know.
“What?”
“She moved money.”
“How much?”
“Twenty-five thousand.”
I stared at him.
“From where?”
“Their joint savings.”
“For what?”
“Julian.”
The name already made me feel sick.
“Apparently he was starting some crypto investment company.”
Nolan’s expression showed exactly what he thought of that.
“Ethan only discovered the transfer after finding the affair.”
I put my beer down.
“You’re saying Chloe gave this guy twenty-five grand?”
“Yes.”
“While married?”
“Yes.”
“And now she’s telling everyone Ethan financially abused her?”
“Yes.”
I sat back.
The booth suddenly felt too small.
Nolan continued.
“Ethan moved out because his lawyer told him to separate finances immediately.”
“He was afraid she would keep moving money.”
“He filed for divorce after that.”
“Why hasn’t he told anyone?”
Nolan shook his head.
“Because he’s an idiot with a conscience.”
I almost smiled.
“He still cares about your parents.”
“He thought Chloe would eventually tell them the truth.”
“He didn’t want to publicly destroy her.”
“Then he started hearing that she was calling him abusive.”
Nolan’s jaw tightened.
“He still refused to fight it publicly.”
I thought about the four thousand dollars.
My stomach turned.
“Does Ethan know my parents are giving her money?”
“I don’t know.”
“Does he know I gave her money?”
“No idea.”
I looked at Gabe.
He looked stunned.
Nolan stood.
“I’m sorry.”
I barely heard him.