My husband forgot the papers he needed for his business trip, so I drove to the airport to bring them to him — I thought I was simply saving his business speech until I got there and saw something I never expected.

At first, I declined.

But I genuinely cared about his grandfather.

He had always treated me kindly.

So I went.

I wasn’t planning to confront anyone.

I wanted to celebrate an elderly man’s birthday peacefully and leave.

Tucker was there.

So was Diane.

Throughout dinner, I kept my distance.

Most relatives seemed aware something was wrong, but nobody mentioned it.

Then, after dessert, Tucker’s grandfather looked between us.

“What’s happening with you two? You’ve barely spoken all evening.”

Before I could answer, Tucker cleared his throat.

“Lauren and I have been growing apart for a while,” he said. “We’re separating. Sometimes these things just happen.”

I slowly set down my glass.

Growing apart.

As though we’d simply discovered we preferred different hobbies.

As though he hadn’t been living an entirely separate romantic life.

I looked at him.

“That’s not an accurate explanation.”