Daniel tried several times to convince me that Sofia had manipulated him.
He said he had been lonely.
He said our marriage had become predictable.
He said he had not intended to hurt me.
Eventually, I asked him one question.
“If you were so unhappy, why didn’t you tell me?”
He looked down.
“I didn’t know how.”
“You knew how to send her messages. You knew how to arrange meetings. You knew how to lie about where you were going. You were not incapable of communicating, Daniel. You simply chose what was convenient.”
He had nothing to say.
Sofia’s friendship with Emily ended.
Patricia and Michael struggled with their own family crisis, and I learned that their relationship with their daughter would require time and difficult conversations.
I did not take pleasure in their pain.
I had wanted accountability, not a lifetime of suffering for everyone involved.
As for Daniel, he continued asking whether there was a chance we could return to our old life.
