And then, into that quiet, at one in the morning, there came a soft knock at the front door.

Chapter 17 — I Was a Coward

I opened the door to find Caleb standing on the porch.

His eyes were red-rimmed and swollen.

His suit jacket was slung over his arm.

And he looked, my proud, stubborn, furious husband, utterly small, and broken, and thoroughly humbled, a man who had run out of places to hide from himself.

He did not say a word to me.

He walked straight past me, through the foyer, and into the kitchen, where his son stood up slowly from the table.