She let him keep his image of himself intact while she did the dirty work of the abandonment for him.

It was a partnership, in its way, a lifelong one, and I was only now, at two in the morning, understanding that I had married not one person but a closed system of two, built entirely around protecting the comfort of the son.

And I understood, seeing it clearly for the first time, why nothing I had ever done or said had been able to change the dynamic between us.

I had spent years trying to reach Liam as though he were an individual, a single person I could reason with, appeal to, grow alongside.