LATER THAT WEEK
Sabine lit a candle in the nursery for the first time.Lavender and sage. She opened the window, let the city come in.
She didn’t cry. Not this time.She just sat in the rocking chair, hands on her knees, watching dust swirl in the late afternoon light. Adair leaned in the doorway, silent, one of the few days he had off.
“She’d be a month today.”
He nodded, throat tight. “Do you want to talk about her?”
Sabine looked at him. “You mean now? Or in general?”
“Both.”
She swallowed. “Not yet…but someday.”
“Okay,” he whispered.
That night, he kissed her shoulder before bed and she didn’t pull away.
TWO WEEKS LATER—THE LIE
They tried.
Counseling once a week.Date nights that didn’t quite feel like dates but…trying. Sabine even laughed at a movie once and Adair looked at her like he wanted to bottle the sound but she could still feel it. That knot. That question. That last sliver of something unspoken between them. The one thing she never pushed—because she wasn’t sure she wanted the answer, yet it sat in her chest like a rock.
However, that night, she asked.
“The night I went into labor. You told me you went out with the guys.” Adair tensed. Sabine’s voice was calm, but her hands gripped the throw pillow on her lap like it was holding hertogether. “That was all you said. Your phone died. You went out… with the guys.” He didn’t speak. “I needed you that night. Needed you like I’ve never needed anyone and for all this time, I’ve accepted not knowing. I’ve chosen not to know but I can’t keep pretending like I don’t feel it. I need the truth, Adair. I need toknow.To know that you wouldn’t jeopardize our marriage, our family with being dishonest when all I’ve ever asked for was honesty.”
“I was with the guys,” he said gently, eyes soft. “We grabbed drinks after work, and…I just needed a minute, Bine. That’s all it was. I lost track of time. My phone died and when I finally saw the messages, I swear, I got there as fast as I could.”
“Okay,” she whispered and that was the end of it. For that night.
ADAIR
PRESENT DAY – OFFICE
Adair sat at his desk, unmoving, the cursor on his laptop blinking, waiting for his next move. His tie was loose. Jacket off. The blinds tilted just enough for light to spill across his watch—gold, engraved on the back withAlways yours, Bine.He hadn’t worn it in months. Didn’t even mean to put it on that morning. It just…called to him. She’d bought it when he got his first offer at a firm.
The party came rushing back like a freight train. Bitch ass Geechie pushing up on his wife—ex-wife then fucking him up.
Sabine.
The push.
The look in her eyes when it happened?—
Adair hadn’t pushed her hard but hard enough. Hard enough for her to walk away from him for the last time.
Dragging a hand down his tired face, Adair leaned back in his chair, the city skyline blurred behind the glass. His eyes weren’t on the spreadsheet in front of him. Hell, they hadn’t been for twenty minutes.
Notthatnight.
Butthatnight.
The night he had the chance to tell the truth. The night he could have,maybehad the chance to save his marriage. That night was supposed to be his redemption. His moment to finally stop hiding. He had the chance. She gave it to him—open hands, trembling voice, eyes full of heartbreak and hope.
But still…he chose to lie.