But a sincere apology was not a marriage plan, and it did not mean Mabel owed him a reunion.

He asked to see us both.

I replied that I would speak to him alone, at a public café, but I wouldn’t involve Mabel.

Our relationship had ended.

His feelings mattered, but I wouldn’t ask my five-year-old to comfort an adult who’d helped frighten her.

When we met, he looked tired.