I lead her through to the kitchen, flipping on the light over the island. The space still smells faintly of the dinner I made earlier, roasted chicken and vegetables, and there are a few dishes in the sink I haven’t gotten to yet. I lean against the counter and wait, giving her space to say whatever she came to say.
Victoria sets the shopping bag on the island and takes a breath. “So I’ve officially ended things with Derek. I’m moving back home.”
I nod slowly. I figured this was coming after our conversation at the restaurant, but hearing it confirmed is still strange. The woman who left me for another man, who chose someone else over our family, is now single again and moving back to the town she couldn’t wait to escape.
“I was already thinking about leaving him,” she continues, “like I told you the other night. But the nail in the coffin was finding out he’s been seeing someone from his office.” She laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “Apparently I’m not the only one who can’t keep my vows.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, and I mean it despite everything. There’s a certain poetry to the situation that I’m not cruel enough to point out. Nobody deserves to be cheated on, even people who’ve done the cheating themselves.
“Thanks.” Victoria looks down at her hands, at the bare finger where her wedding ring used to be. “Though you’d be well within your rights to say I deserved it. Considering what I did to you.”
“I’m not going to gloat about someone hurting you,” I tellher. “That’s not who I am. And it was a long time ago. I’ve forgiven you for that.”
The words are true. I have forgiven her, for the affair at least. The anger that used to burn in my chest whenever I thought about what she did has faded into something that feels more like acceptance than resentment.
“You always were too good for me, Theo. I don’t know how I gave you and Chloe up for such an asshole like Derek.” She pauses, looks around my kitchen like she’s seeing it for the first time. Her eyes land on the drawings Chloe made that are stuck to the fridge with magnets. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately. About what would have happened if I’d stayed back then and stuck it out through the hard years instead of running to something that seemed easier.”
I stay quiet, letting her get wherever she’s going with this, even though I already know. I can feel it coming like a storm rolling in. Victoria looks at me directly.
“I wanted to be honest with you, Theo. If I’m going to be back here anyway, living in the same town, co-parenting Chloe together, I think you should know where I stand.” She takes a breath. “I’m interested in trying again. I messed up with us. I realize that now, more than I ever have. And I’ve been wondering if there’s any chance we could find our way back to each other. For Chloe’s sake, if nothing else.”
The words hang between us like fog, and I search myself for something. Anything. Temptation. Curiosity. Nostalgia for what we had when things were good, those early days before everything fell apart. But there’s nothing there except certainty, clear and absolute, about what my answer is going to be.
“I’m sorry about what happened with Derek,” I tell her, keeping my voice gentle but unwavering. “And I genuinely hope you do move back and become more present in Chloe’s life. She needs her mother, and I’ve never wanted to stand in the way of that.” I hold her gaze steadily. “But there’s no going back for us, Victoria. We weren’t right for each other back then, and wewouldn’t be right for each other now. Too much has happened. Too much has changed.” I pause. “And I’m in love with someone else.”
She opens her mouth to respond, but I keep going because I need to be crystal clear about this. I need there to be no ambiguity, no room for misinterpretation or hope that I might change my mind.
“I want to say something, and I need you to really hear it,” I continue. “I will never try to keep you from Chloe if you’re actually going to be consistent and present in her life. I will never speak badly about you to her or try to turn her against you. Not once, not ever. You’re her mother, and that matters, and I want you to have a real relationship with her.” I pause. “But my future is with Emma. And we’re going to need clear boundaries going forward. You being Chloe’s mom doesn’t give you access to my personal life or my romantic decisions. We’re co-parents. That’s it. That’s all we’re ever going to be.”
Victoria’s face tightens, and I see the flash of something in her eyes. Jealousy, maybe. Or wounded pride.
“Are you really sure about Emma?” she asks. “She’s so young, Theo. You’re at completely different life stages. You have a daughter, a business, adult responsibilities. She’s twenty-four and teaching first grade. What do you two even have in common? Are you really compatible long-term, or is this just infatuation?” She tilts her head, studying me. “Won’t you eventually want someone more on your level?”
“Stop.” The word comes out harder. “Emma is the best thing that’s happened to me in years. She’s smart and kind and she loves Chloe like she’s her own.” I take a breath, reining in my frustration. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Victoria. And I need you to stop.”
Victoria sits there for a long moment, and I can see the hurt flickering across her features along with something that looks like resignation. Like she expected this answer even if she hoped for something different. “I understand,” she says finally,and her voice is quieter now, the sharpness gone. “I just wanted to be honest about what I was feeling. I didn’t want things to be weird between us going forward, and I figured it was better to put it out there than let it fester.”
“I appreciate the honesty,” I tell her. “But my answer isn’t going to change. Not now, not ever.”
She nods, stands up from where she’d been leaning against the island. There’s a dignity to the way she composes herself, smoothing down her shirt, picking up her purse. Whatever else I can say about Victoria, she’s never been one to fall apart in front of people.
“Goodnight, Theo,” she says.
“Goodnight, Vic.”
She lets herself out quietly, and I hear her car start a moment later, the headlights sweeping across the kitchen window as she backs out of the driveway. The engine fades into the distance, and then it’s just me and the quiet house and the weight of everything that was said.
I stay there for a long moment, staring at the door she just walked through.
Five years ago, that conversation would have gutted me. Five years ago, I would have given anything to hear Victoria say she regretted leaving, that she wanted to try again, that she finally saw what she’d thrown away. I would have taken her back in a heartbeat, convinced myself we could make it work, told myself that keeping our family together was worth any amount of personal unhappiness.
But standing here now, all I feel is relief that it’s over. Relief and a bone-deep ache for the woman who isn’t here. Emma’s face keeps surfacing in my mind, the way she looked that morning when she walked out, the way her voice sounded when she said she needed space. Two weeks feels like a lifetime.
I push back from the counter and head upstairs, following the sound of Chloe’s voice coming from her bedroom. When I reach her doorway, I find her sitting cross-legged on the floorwith Nala weaving between her legs, the cat’s gray tail flicking contentedly while Chloe runs her fingers through her fur.
“There you are,” I say, leaning against the doorframe. “Nice to have you back, kiddo.”
Chloe looks up at me with a smile that’s pure sunshine. “It’s nice to be back. Mom and I had a really good time though.”
