"Lisa, you’re smart and independent. You can handle these little things just fine without me."
But I stubbornly insisted he teach me.
The notification sounded.
Oliver was sitting in the passenger seat, and the air around him felt frighteningly cold.
He glanced at me, then lowered the brightness of his phone.
The screen slowly shifted toward me.
Maybe he thought I was focused on the road, but I noticed every little movement.
So, I turned up the music in the car, pondering whether there was a rift in our marriage.
That afternoon, Oliver, who always hated animals, suggested we get a puppy.
While I spent a few seconds teasing the dog, he took a photo and shared it with Anna.
I usually avoid looking through his phone.
But Anna’s messages were too urgent, and I felt a lack of security.
As Oliver took a drag from his cigarette, his phone buzzed relentlessly, ringing over ten times.
“The puppy is adorable, but it doesn’t hold a candle to my cat, Honey.”
“Hey, your ex-wife didn’t teach you how to flirt, did she? Why are you so clueless?”
Oliver didn’t bother to argue. Instead, he sent a shy emoji followed by a hesitant, “Uh… yeah.”