And a reflex is worth a thousand arguments, because an argument is what a person wants you to believe and a reflex is what is actually true.

I did not need him to confirm the affair after that.

The four words had already told me everything the two years had been: that somewhere along the way I had stopped being the person he protected and become the person he protected others from.

You do not come back from learning that.

You only decide how long you are going to pretend you did not hear it.

The elevator doors slid open.