“How long?” I asked.
Tyler looked at Laila.
Then at me.
“Almost a year.”
My stomach turned.
“When were you planning to tell me?”
He rubbed his forehead.
“I was waiting for the right time.”
“The right time to tell your wife that another woman is pregnant with your child?”
“No.”
He hesitated.
“The right time to give you the papers.”
I stared at him.
“What papers?”
“The divorce papers.”
Behind me, Mason was crying harder.
Tyler’s expression changed.
It was as if he had momentarily forgotten his own son could hear him.
I immediately crouched beside Mason.
“Put your headphones on, sweetheart.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Please.”
He began sobbing.
I hugged him, then stood again.
“You were planning to serve me divorce papers?”
“I didn’t want you finding out like this.”
“How exactly did you want me to find out?”
“I wanted us to talk privately.”
Laila interrupted.
“Tyler and I love each other.”
I turned toward her.
“We’re having a baby,” she continued. “He wants to be with me. Dragging this out isn’t helping anyone.”
I looked at Tyler.
“Is that what you think?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
Then he nodded.
“Our marriage has been over for a while.”
That was news to me.
We had eaten dinner together Thursday night.
Watched a movie in bed Friday.
He had kissed me goodbye that very morning.
Apparently, my marriage had ended without anyone bothering to tell me.
“We can still be good parents to Mason,” Tyler said.
Our son heard his name.
He looked up.
“You’re leaving us?”
Tyler stepped toward him.
“Mason…”
My son backed away.
“Don’t touch me.”
Tyler froze.
That was when I knew we had to leave.
I picked up our bags.
“We’re going home.”
“Please let me explain things to him.”
I looked at Tyler.
“You already did.”
I took Mason downstairs and bought him ice cream because I had absolutely no idea what else to do.
He managed three bites.
Then he looked at me.
