“Great.” She hated the idea of more conflict.

“Be patient. We’re in the home stretch. I don’t think I need to remind you of where we were six months ago.”

“No.” She shook her head, not wanting to rehash even for a moment the dark period in Katie’s life. “Definitely no.”

“Okay, I just want you to see how well she’s doing. She’s ready to start socializing with her peers again outside of school, and I’d like you to encourage it.”

“She said that?” Her eyes swung to his. “She wants to go out?” It had been ten months since Katie had gone out socially with friends.

“Yes.”

“That’s great, isn’t it?”

“It is. We’ll take it slow at first. No sleepovers away from home. And hold her to her curfew. Pay close attention to the friends she’s spending time with. But it’s time for her to get back out there.”

“Okay.” Lina dropped her eyes to her hands, her thoughts turning to Phil and his reaction to Katie leaving the house.

“Is there a problem?”

“I was just thinking about my husband. I’m not sure he’s going to agree. I think if it were up to him, he’d keep her from going out until she was eighteen,” she said, only half joking.

“Would it help if I spoke to him?”

“No, I’ll talk to him.” They’d been closer since Friday night, and she hated the thought of fighting with him about Katie.

“Are you sure? You don’t look very convincing.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just been a tough week.”

“Is there something I should know?” The gentle timbre of his voice rolled over her.

“My husband cheated on me,” she burst out before quickly covering her mouth. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what compelled me to share that with you.”

His eyes widened, and there was no mistaking his surprise.

“I’m sorry,” she said again, coming to her feet. “I’m just going to leave and we can pretend I never said that.”

“Please sit down.” His eyes were full of concern. “Lina?”

She drew in a deep breath in an attempt to settle her nerves and slowly sat back down. “You used my first name.” She tried unsuccessfully to smile.

“Tell me what makes you think your husband was unfaithful to you.”

She looked into his eyes—eyes she’d looked into so many times over the past months—and began to talk, telling him of the long hours, the travel Phil was suddenly taking for work, the tie, the text message, the cell phone she could no longer access and Diane’s opinion. “All of the stress with Katie—it pushed us apart. I neglected our relationship.”

“So if he indeed cheated, it was your fault?”

“In part I think, but everything has been better since Friday. I shouldn’t have even mentioned it.”

“And yet you did.”

“I feel comfortable with you,” she admitted. “It just came out.”

“What changed on Friday?”

“I made a conscious effort to put him first. And I’ve started instigating, you know…” She trailed off.