Chapter 5 - The Choice He Could Not Make for Her
Three weeks passed before Simone agreed to see Daniel again.
The meeting was her decision.
She chose a quiet public courtyard near her attorney's office, and Denise accompanied her.
Daniel arrived early.
He looked tired.
There were dark circles beneath his eyes, and the usual confidence in his posture was gone.
Simone noticed, but she did not feel responsible for comforting him.
Daniel stood when he saw her.
“Thank you for coming.”
She sat opposite him.
“Let's talk.”
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Daniel placed a small box on the table.
“Your ring.”
Simone looked at it.
“I didn't ask for it.”
“I know. I just didn't want to keep it without asking.”
She did not open the box.
Daniel folded his hands.
“I've started counseling. I'm working with someone who specializes in abusive behavior and anger. I know going to appointments doesn't erase what happened.”
Simone nodded.
“Good.”
“Kayla's started seeing a therapist too. We're working on the lying and on everything she's been struggling with since Alicia died.”
“How is she?”
Daniel hesitated.
“Confused. Upset with me. And ashamed.”
Simone looked toward the courtyard fountain.
“I never wanted her to suffer.”
“I know.”
“I wanted her to stop hurting me.”
Daniel lowered his eyes.
“I should have helped her face what she was doing. Instead, I made it easier for her to keep doing it.”
Simone looked back at him.
“You did more than that, Daniel. You punished me every time I tried to defend myself.”
He nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
“Remember when she accused me of hiding Alicia's necklace?”
“Yes.”
“You told me I was jealous of a dead woman.”
Daniel covered his face with one hand.
Simone continued.
“I cried that night. You saw me crying, and you told me to stop making everything about myself.”
“I remember.”
“And three days later, Kayla found the necklace in her own backpack.”
Daniel swallowed.
“She said she'd forgotten it was there.”
“And you never apologized to me.”
“I know.”
Simone's voice shook, but she kept speaking.
“Do you understand why Saturday wasn't just one terrible afternoon?”
Daniel looked at her.
“It was the end of a long pattern.”
“Yes.”
He did not try to argue.
That mattered.
But it did not remove the pattern.
Daniel pushed the ring box slightly toward her.
“I love you, Simone.”
She stared at it.
For nearly three years, those words had been enough to make her stay through almost anything.
Now she realized they were not enough by themselves.
“I love the man I thought you were,” she said quietly. “I don't know if I can feel safe with the man you showed me.”
Daniel's eyes filled.
“Is there any chance?”
Simone took a long breath.
“I can't promise you that.”
He nodded.
“I won't ask you to.”
They discussed practical matters.
Simone needed access to her belongings and documents.
Daniel agreed to make arrangements through their attorneys so she could collect them without another confrontation.
They also discussed the household expenses and how to separate their finances fairly.
Before leaving, Daniel hesitated.
“Kayla wrote you something.”
He reached into his bag but stopped.
“Would you want to read it? You don't have to.”
Simone considered the question.
“Not today.”
Daniel put the paper away.
“Okay.”
She stood.
Daniel rose too.
For one moment, he looked as though he might step toward her.
Instead, he stayed where he was.
“I'm sorry I didn't protect you,” he said.
Simone met his eyes.
“You were the person I needed protection from.”
He flinched.
But he did not look away.
“I know.”
Simone took the ring box and left with Denise.
That evening, Daniel sat with Kayla in the living room.
The television was off.
Their dinner plates had been cleared away.
“Did she read my letter?” Kayla asked.
“Not yet.”
Kayla stared at her hands.
“Is she coming home?”
“I don't think so.”
Tears filled the girl's eyes.
“Because of me?”
Daniel shook his head.
“What you did was wrong. You lied, and you hurt Simone. But I'm the adult who chose to hit her. That's my responsibility.”
Kayla wiped her cheeks.
“I just wanted you to pick me.”
Daniel sat beside her.
“I never stopped choosing to be your father.”
“But you married her.”
“Yes. And that didn't take anything away from you.”
Kayla leaned against the couch.
“I thought if she left, everything would go back to how it used to be.”
Daniel's throat tightened.
“How it was before your mom died?”
Kayla nodded.
He put an arm around her.
For a long time, they sat quietly.
Then Kayla whispered, “It doesn't feel like it used to.”
Daniel looked toward the empty dining room.
“No,” he said. “It doesn't.”
Kayla began crying.
“I didn't want you to hurt her.”
Daniel held her hand.
“I believe you. But what you wanted doesn't erase what happened.”
She looked up.
“Can I tell her I'm sorry?”
“You can write the truth. Whether she wants to read it is her choice.”
Kayla nodded.
It was not the immediate forgiveness she wanted.
But for the first time, Daniel was teaching her that other people's feelings did not disappear simply because hers were painful.
Across town, Simone sat with Denise at the kitchen table.
The little ring box rested in front of her.
She opened it.
Her wedding band lay inside.
For several minutes, she studied the gold circle.
She remembered Daniel placing it on her finger during their wedding.
She remembered Kayla standing beside them in a pale yellow dress, smiling as she handed Simone a bouquet.
That happiness had been real.
So had the cruelty that came afterward.
Simone closed the box.
Earlier that day, she had signed the paperwork instructing her attorney to begin divorce proceedings.
The decision hurt.
But for the first time since the barbecue, she did not feel confused about what she needed to do.
May you like
She was no longer waiting for Daniel to choose her.
She had chosen herself.
