I looked at him sharply.
“That is a private matter.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.”
He immediately turned back toward the television.
The apology should have ended the conversation.
Instead, I felt a strange urge to explain myself.
“Marriage changes,” I said after a moment. “People change. Sometimes you get so busy building a life that you forget to check whether you’re still building it together.”
Jake said nothing.
But his silence made it clear that he had heard me.
When the movie ended, he stood.
“Good night, Sarah.”
“Good night, Jake.”
I thought that would be the end of it.
Hours later, I was lying in bed when I heard a quiet knock.
“Sarah?”
I closed my eyes.
I knew I should tell him to go back to his room.
Instead, I sat up.
“What is it?”
The door opened only slightly.
“I can’t sleep.”
“Neither can I, sometimes. That doesn’t mean you should be wandering around the house at two in the morning.”
