The affair was, if Nora's description could be believed, almost pathologically passionate. Neil, she said, became an addiction, and she'd assumed that he had felt the same for her. They met regularly, if infrequently, and though they were strangely reckless in their choice of sexual venues—parks, movie theatres, even a couple of restaurant rest rooms—they were exceedingly careful when it came to Thomas. Poor Tommy.

When the interviewers asked Nora about her feelings for him during this time, Thomas felt his heart slow to what seemed a beat a minute.

sINT 1: How would you describe them?

Nora Bible: My feelings for Tommy? He's a good man. I loved him.

sINT 2: But if—

Nora Bible: But if I loved him how could I… betray him? What do you want me to say? That he beat me? He didn't. That he continually psychoanalyzed me, attempting to undermine my self-esteem? No. Not unless we were fighting—but who plays fair in fights? Tommy just couldn't…

sINT 2: Couldn't what, Ms Bible?

Nora Bible: Couldn't fuck me the way Neil could. Hm? Was that what you wanted to hear?

sINT 1: Are you saying your husband was impotent?

Nora Bible: Tommy? No. Hell no… He just wasn't… He wasn't Neil.

sINT 2: You know, Ms Bible, your answers seem, well…

sINT 1: Imprecise.

Nora Bible: Look. I married Tommy because he knew me, he really knew me. But… I think I started resenting him for it. For Tommy weaknesses are supposed to be accepted. We're not supposed to punish ourselves every time we screw up, just forgive… that, and try to cultivate better habits. But with Neil…

sINT 2: Neil didn't know you?

Nora Bible: Oh, Neil knew me.

sINT 2: But then what are you trying to say?

Nora Bible: I was always just a project for Tommy, I think…

Tears had tapped onto the transcript page as he read this. Of course, Nora would try to find reasons for what she did; that much didn't surprise him. Owning up was expensive, reasons were cheap. The causes were quite clear: women, like men, were pre-programmed for infidelity. The murky alchemy of attraction, from flirt to tingle to climax, was simply a patsy for the biology of reproduction. Given the onerous child-rearing demands of homo sapiens, human females were often forced to make pair-bonding compromises. One guy to pay the bills, another guy to ring the bells.

Nora was simply acting out a script inked in DNA, and authored by millions of years of heartbreak and adaptive advantages, unconsciously following an eon-old biological imperative. She had no reason for breaking his trust, his heart. No reason whatsoever.

At least that's what Thomas told himself at first.

He laid in bed all day, transcript pages scattered about, before he realized what he already knew.

Nora fucked Neil because Neil was stronger.

He had been a failure as a husband. As a man. And now he was a failure as a father as well.

Good God, Frankie…