We wanted her to experience the uncertainty and helplessness she had forced upon us.
We wanted her to see that she had lost Caleb, not because I had stolen him, but because their relationship had ended and he had chosen a different future.
At first, we resisted that desire.
We continued dating openly, although we kept the most intimate parts of our relationship private.
We went to the movies. We cooked together. We spent Sunday afternoons walking along the river.
Slowly, we began to imagine a future.
Then Delaney made one final attempt to separate us.
She contacted Caleb’s employer and claimed that he had used company property to help me obtain materials for my classroom.
The company investigated and found no evidence of misconduct.
But the complaint frightened Caleb.
He had worked hard to build a reliable reputation. He couldn’t afford to lose his job because his ex-girlfriend wanted to punish him.
