Cole understood.
He exhaled.
"We had drinks."
"Where?"
"Pool bar."
"Anything else?"
He looked at Lauren.
Lauren said, "You don't owe him an explanation."
That answered more than she realized.
I looked at her.
"He doesn't."
Then at Cole.
"But you apparently told him I wasn't really your husband anymore, so I'd appreciate knowing what story I'm actually standing inside."
Cole shook his head.
"We talked."
"That's all?"
He hesitated.
Lauren's face went pale.
There it was.
That half-second again.
I said, "Cole."
"We kissed."
Lauren closed her eyes.
I didn't feel anything immediately.
That scared me.
No explosion.
No rage.
Just a strange emptiness.
Like my body had shut off power to some part of itself because continuing to feel normally would be too expensive.
"Once?"
Cole looked miserable.
"Adam, don't do this."
Lauren's voice sounded far away.
I asked again.
"Once?"
Cole answered.
"No."
Lauren turned on him.
"What the hell?"
He stared at her.
"What do you want me to say?"
"Nothing."
"You told me you were separated."
"I said things were complicated."
"No."
His tone changed.
"I asked you directly if you were still with him."
Lauren went silent.
Cole continued.
"You said legally married, practically finished."
I almost laughed.
Practically finished.
Seven years reduced to two words delivered beside a resort swimming pool.
I looked at my wife.
"How many times?"
She shook her head.
"Adam."
"How many times did you kiss him?"
"This is humiliating."
"Yes."
"I mean doing this in public."
"That's what bothers you?"
She covered her face for a second.
"Can we go to the room?"
I looked at the beach chairs.
Our towels.
Her sandals.
My book.
The ridiculous woven beach bag we'd bought at the resort gift shop the first day because Lauren said the one we'd packed looked cheap.
Everything looked normal.
That was the strange thing about betrayal.
The objects around it did not change.
Your marriage could be collapsing while somebody ten feet away worried about whether their margarita had enough ice.
I picked up my phone, room key, and shirt.
Lauren watched.
"What are you doing?"
"Going upstairs."
"Good."
"Alone."
Her expression shifted.
"Adam."
I looked at Cole.
"Did you meet her anywhere else yesterday?"
Lauren stepped between us.
"Enough."
I looked over her shoulder.
Cole answered anyway.
"At the bar last night."
My stomach dropped again.
Lauren and I had eaten dinner together.
She complained she had a headache around nine-thirty.
We went upstairs.
At ten-fifteen she said she couldn't sleep and wanted fresh air.
She told me she was going downstairs to walk near the lobby for a few minutes.
I had fallen asleep before she returned.
I looked at her.
"You met him last night."
She shook her head.
"We ran into each other."
Cole gave her a look.
That look told me it wasn't true.
I asked him.
"Accidentally?"
He hesitated.
"No."
Lauren whispered his name like a warning.
He ignored it.
"We texted."
I stared at her.
"You gave him your number."
"It was stupid."
"When?"
"Yesterday."
"Before or after you told me the afternoon was boring?"
"Adam, please."