Chapter 12 - I Do Not Forgive Them Quickly
Thomas came home two weeks later.
His old key did not work.
I had warned him.
He stood on the porch with a suitcase.
I opened the door.
He looked at the new lock.
“Fair.”
I did not hand him a key.
Not yet.
We were still married.
He slept in the guest room.
Claire returned from Mexico three days later.
She came to see me.
I let her inside.
She apologized for helping Thomas keep the investigation secret.
She said she thought she was protecting me from fear.
I answered:
“You protected me from information.”
Claire nodded.
There was no defense.
I believed they had not had an affair.
Evidence supported them.
That did not magically restore trust.
Betrayal can happen without sex.
Thomas and Claire had created a private alliance around my property, my identity, and my risk.
Their intentions were partly protective.
Their method excluded me.
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I needed time to separate those truths.
They gave it to me.
