4 months before the party, before she asked me. Before I even knew anything was wrong. William watched me carefully. There's more. He showed me another message.
Deborah had told Lauren that she had been looking into alternative relationships and private parties for months. She hadn't suddenly become curious. She had already been exploring the idea. The party wasn't the beginning. It was the point where she decided to act on it.
I leaned back in my chair. Did Lauren send this to you? She sent it to me because she didn't know how else to reach you. I nodded. Then my phone rang.
Deborah. I let it ring. A voicemail appeared. I played it. Her voice was quiet.
Steven, I know you don't want to talk to me, but there's something you need to know. I never wanted to hurt you. I thought maybe we could find a way to make this work. I stopped the recording. William looked at me.
Are you going to call her? No. Why? I looked at the wedding binder still sitting on the table. Because now I know this wasn't one bad night.
It had been a decision she had been making for months. And I wasn't going to let her rewrite that decision as a simple mistake. Deborah came to the townhouse on Saturday afternoon. I was in the garage sorting through boxes when I heard her knock. I opened the door, but didn't invite her inside.
She looked different from the last time I'd seen her. Tired. No makeup. Her hair pulled back. Can we talk?
We're talking. She swallowed. I've been thinking about everything. So have I. I know what I did was wrong.
I waited. She looked down at the floor. I was unhappy, Steven. I understand. You don't.
Then explain it. She took a breath. I started questioning whether I was ready for marriage. I felt like everything was already decided. The house, the wedding, our future.
You could have told me. I was scared. You weren't scared when you joined those groups. Her face tightened. I know.
You weren't scared when you lied to me about the party, and you weren't scared when you walked out that door after I told you exactly what would happen. She didn't answer. For a few seconds, neither of us spoke. Then she said, "I made the biggest mistake of my life. " I looked at her. Maybe?
She seemed surprised by the answer. Maybe? I don't know what the biggest mistake of your life is, Deborah. She stepped closer. I lost you.
No. She frowned. You didn't lose me. You made a choice, and I accepted it. Her eyes filled with tears.