I was leaving the dry cleaners with my husband’s suits when a colleague told me, “He’s not traveling, he’s been with another woman for days,” and at that moment I understood why my marriage was already a lie.

Simon guided me to a chair without asking because he could see my hands were shaking violently. “I hate to be the one to break this to you, but you deserved to know the truth,” he said.

I let out a sharp, broken laugh that felt like it was tearing my throat. “She sat in my house and told me how lucky Wesley was to have such a supportive wife.”

Simon clenched his jaw and nodded slowly. “I know, and that is why I couldn’t keep quiet any longer.”

He explained that no one at the office was really trying to hide the affair anymore. Everyone simply assumed I was either the only person who didn’t know or the one person who chose to ignore it.

That realization hurt the most because I had become a silent joke to people who toasted my health while wondering why I put up with such blatant disrespect. Before I left, Simon asked me not to go home and sit in the silence by myself.

“Have dinner with me tonight,” he suggested gently. “It isn’t a date, but I just don’t think you should be alone right now.”