To my disbelief, tears instantly welled in his eyes. He stepped toward me, pitiful.
"Ruby, don't say that," he pleaded, trembling. "Divorce is such a heavy word. It brings bad luck to say it so casually."
He pressed a hand to his chest. "I came to apologize. I overstepped. I thought because we were friends, I could help out, but I had no boundaries. It's all my fault. A thousand times, my fault."
He sniffled, wiping his eyes. "From now on, I'll keep my distance. Just me and my son, alone. I'm used to it. But please, don't divorce Claire because of me. She's such a good woman…"
He broke into theatrical sobs, shoulders shaking.
Claire's expression hardened. She looked at his weeping form, hands clenching into fists. When she turned back to me, her eyes were cold.
"Ruby, Colin has humiliated himself enough. I don't want to fight with you."
She stepped closer, voice dropping to steel. "You know this. A divorce right now would destroy your career. Don't bring it up again. I'll pretend I never heard it."
My jaw tightened.
We'd joined the same conglomerate before our marriage. Different departments, but when the company promoted a new Vice President, we were the final two candidates.