Daniel walked straight to the living room and collapsed onto the sofa, elbows on his knees, hands covering his face.
He looked smaller somehow. Defeated.
I went to the kitchen and poured a drink, not to numb myself, but to steady my hands.
When I came back, I sat across from him in the armchair we had picked out together five years ago, the one he had insisted on because it was good for reading.
Neither of us spoke at first.
The silence wasn’t awkward.
It was honest.
“How long?” I asked eventually.
Daniel rubbed his face.
“I don’t know. Maybe always a little.”
The words stung more than I expected.
“When did it get worse?”
He swallowed.
“After the wedding. Seeing your cousin and his wife. The way they looked at each other. It made me realize what was missing.”
“What you think was missing,” I corrected.
He nodded weakly.
“Yes.”
I leaned back.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
He laughed bitterly.
“How? Hey, Genesis, I think I married you for the wrong reasons and I’m still in love with my ex-girlfriend?”
“Yes,” I said. “Exactly that.”
Daniel’s eyes filled again.
“I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“You already did,” I said gently. “You just did it slowly.”
He was quiet for a long time.
“Would you have tried to work on it?” he asked finally. “If I had told you earlier?”
I considered the question honestly.
“Maybe,” I said. “But I would have needed the truth, not a performance.”
He nodded.
“I’m sorry.”
“I know,” I replied. “But apologies don’t rebuild trust.”
We sat there, two people finally seeing each other clearly and realizing there was nothing left to save.
“What do you want to do?” he asked.
I met his eyes.
“I think you already know.”
Daniel’s shoulders sagged.
“You’ll never trust me again.”
“No,” I said. “And you’ll never stop wondering what if.”
Tears streamed down his face.
“I think divorce is the only honest option,” he whispered.
I nodded.
“I agree.”
The next morning, Daniel packed a bag.
Not dramatically. No slammed doors. No shouting. He went to stay with his sister while we figured things out.
I watched from the doorway as he loaded his car.