“There is something wrong with me, isn’t there?” Lina whispered, a few tears slipping from her eyes.

“No. Why would you say that?” He slid a napkin across the table towards her. “You are dealing with something very difficult.”

“Shouldn’t I hate him right now?”

“You can hate his actions without hating him.”

“My husband had sex with another woman. I think hating him would have been a healthier response than having sex with him.” She wiped at her tears. “And I’m sure you do too. You just think I need to come to that conclusion on my own.”

“Do you think there is a right way to handle the situation you’ve found yourself in?”

“No, but I think there’s a wrong way. And rewarding your husband with sex when you find out he was cheating on you seems like the wrong way for any self-respecting woman.”

“Rewarding him?” He raised an eyebrow. “Was that your intention?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I wanted the pain to stop. I wanted to stop thinking. And I wanted to feel closer to him.”

“So you were trying to comfort yourself. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“I feel like I was trying to comfort both of us—like something is happening to us. Like he’s a victim too.” She pressed the tissue against her eyes, tears once again threatening. “My rational mind wants me to be angry at him, but then I look at him and it’s Phil. Loving him is part of who I am.”

Dr. Drayton curved his hand around the back of his neck, his fingers kneading his muscles, the pizza seemingly forgotten as he listened to her pledge her love to the man who had cheated on her and impregnated another woman. He drew in a deep breath. “Under what scenario could he possibly be a victim? Someone must have chosen not to wear a condom, if I’m recalling sex education correctly.”

Bile rose in her throat at the thought of Phil ejaculating into another woman. He hated wearing condoms. He said it ruined his pleasure. It was why Megan was conceived on their honeymoon. Lina had forgotten to pack her pills, and Phil decided his pleasure was worth the risk. “I know he isn’t a victim. I was just telling you what I was thinking.” She rubbed her fingers over her forehead. “I can’t believe this is happening. I feel like this is someone else’s life or a bad dream.”

“You’re in shock. It’s a lot to take in.”

“How do we get past it?”

“Time.”

“There’s going to be a child—his child. Am I going to get past that?” Just saying it aloud felt surreal.

“That’s not a question I can answer.”

“Could you get past it? If you were married and your wife got impregnated by another man?”

He looked surprised by the question, but quickly composed his features. “What I could or couldn’t do is irrelevant.”

“I want to know.”

“I don’t know. I know you’re looking for something more concrete, but I can’t give it to you. Your situation, your relationship is unique to you. Whether or not you can get past it is a question only you can answer. Is it possible? Yes. It’s definitely possible.”