“What?” I say, wiping at my eyes.

“I’m sorry. I know what it feels like to have your marriage slip through your fingers, watching it slowly float away, and no matter what you do, you can’t do anything about it. I’m really fucking sorry.”

Umm, wow. Was not expecting that. Chad taking the high road. I’m…I’m shocked.

“Thank you,” I answer softly. “I’m sorry about you and your wife. Matt and I never tried to get pregnant, and I think it’s because when we were ready, we both kind of knew that it wasn’t something that would help the marriage, only hinder it, so I can’t imagine what you’re going through.”

“Yeah, it’s not easy.” He blows out a heavy breath and then lightly chuckles. “You know, at first, I thought that maybe something was up, something was fishy, but then the more I watched you, the more I pushed that thought away. And to be honest, you had me fooled. I could have sworn you and Wilder were married. The way you two interact together, how he looks at you…it seems real, at least from the outside.”

I press my lips together, more tears coming to my eyes. “It, uh, it turned into something when we were here. I wasn’t expecting it, but yeah, there are feelings between us.”

“Then why are you crying?” he asks.

“Because I’m scared,” I answer honestly. “I put my whole heart into my marriage, but I was ignored. My needs were ignored. He wasn’t interested in me, and it did a number on my confidence. When I moved to New York, I was trying to start a new journey, a new chapter, but I realized that it was pretty hard with all the baggage I was carrying. Wilder, he opened my eyes to that baggage and had me face it head-on with him by my side. He made me see my worth and made me stand up for myself. He’s been so different from Matt, and that…that scares me, because I can see myself growing attached⁠—”

“But you don’t want to get hurt again,” Chad finishes for me.

“I can’t get hurt again,” I say softly. “I’m still so raw, and Wilder previously told me he’s not in a position to know what he wants when it comes to relationships and dating, but he wants to try.”

“But you’re too scared to try when you know you already have an attachment.”

“Correct,” I say, surprised that Chad gets it so well.