“I don’t think that’s available anymore.”

“That sounds painful.”

“It is.

But I don’t want Grace growing up thinking this is what love should feel like.”

Bennett nodded.

He did not tell me what choice to make.

We discussed divorce, temporary financial arrangements, and how best to create a predictable schedule for Grace if Derek moved out.

When I left, I carried a folder, a set of realistic expectations, and a difficult new understanding: my daughter’s future would not be protected by making her father look foolish in public.