Ellie paused, tightly hugging her stuffed animal. “Daddy said she’s pleasant and attractive, and she’d be a terrific mother. “He talks to her a lot at school,” she said softly, her voice cracking.

Dani’s breath stopped in her throat. She forced herself to be calm for Ellie’s sake, softly caressing her hair. “Ellie, I will always be your mother, no matter what. “You are my everything, and nothing will ever change that,” she told her.

Dani sat in the living room that night, after putting Ellie to bed, her thoughts racing with feelings of perplexity, rage, and hurt. Nathan’s actions began to fit together, with his continual critiques, emotional detachment, and now this. She realized she needed clarity.

The next morning, Dani resolved to face Nathan. She waited until Ellie was in school before sitting across from him at the kitchen table. “Nathan, I need to talk to you about something Ellie said.”

Nathan looked up, taken aback by her tone. “What’s this about?”

“She told me that you’ve been talking to Miss Allen—about her being a good mother,” Dani replied, her voice firm but hurtful. “What’s going on, Nathan?”

Nathan’s cheeks turned pale. He opened his lips to answer but hesitated. “Dani, it’s not what you think…”

“Then explain it,” Dani said. “Because our daughter is confused and heartbroken, and so am I.”

Nathan eventually moaned, his shoulders drooping. “I didn’t mean for it to come to this,” he said. “I’ve been conversing with Miss Allen. It began as polite conversations, but I believe I got carried away.” I felt disconnected from us and you, and she was simple to talk to.”

Dani’s heart ached, but she wouldn’t cry. “Disconnected?” she repeated. “Instead of discussing it with me, you opted to confide in someone else. Isn’t our daughter now caught in the middle?

Nathan appeared embarrassed but provided no defense.