Logan
“You both seem… lighter,” Dr. Nina says as Jess and I settle onto the couch at exactly four o’clock.
Jess curls into my side automatically. I let her. My fingers lace through hers like it’s instinct.
“We are,” I answer.
Dr. Nina doesn’t smile. She studies us.
“Tell me what brought you here today.”
I hesitate then glance at Jess.
She inhales slowly. “You might remember we were here last year,” she says carefully. “For…”
Dr. Nina nods once.
“A few months ago,” Jess continues, “I told Logan that during that time… I slept with someone else.”
The words still hit like a bruise. Not sharp anymore. But tender.
“We separated,” she adds. “Structured for sixty days. We nearly divorced.”
Dr. Nina’s gaze shifts to me. “And now?”
Jess gives a strained little laugh. “Now we’re… good?”
The way she says it makes it sound like a question.
I clear my throat.
“I didn’t just forgive her,” I say. “I tried to leave. I tried to stay angry. I tried to make it simple.” I exhale. “It wasn’t.”
“What changed?” Dr. Nina asks.
I stare at the bookshelf behind her instead of looking at Jess.
“I thought she’d left,” I admit. “There was a suitcase by the door. The kids were gone. I panicked.”
“That’s when you decided to forgive her?” Nina asks gently.
“No,” I say quickly. “That’s when I realized I don’t want a life without her.”
Silence settles.
“Those are different things,” she says.
I nod slowly. “Yeah.”
Jess’s fingers tighten around mine.
Dr. Nina leans forward slightly. “So which one are you here for today? Forgiveness… or fear?”
The words are harsher than I expected.
“I’m here,” I say carefully, “because I don’t trust that I’m done being angry.”
Jess goes still beside me.
