I knelt to touch the names, then stopped myself.

They belonged to children I had not yet earned the right to know.

That evening I did not call Vivienne for comfort.

I went home, placed the divorce papers on my desk, and began writing down what I had done, without explaining it away.

PART 9

Vivienne was waiting in our dining room with a list of venues for an engagement party we had been discussing.

She had expected a proposal for months, and I had allowed that expectation to grow because I rarely challenged anything that made my life easier.