PART 2
“And how are you doing?”
I drew a breath.
“Callum, tell me why you’re calling.”
He went quiet.
“You left on Friday and said you’d be back Monday. Has something changed?”
He paused.
“Elena thinks this whole transition may be harder on you than I made it sound.”
I immediately straightened up.
“What exactly have you told Elena about our marriage?”
There was another pause.
“I told her things between us were pretty much finished.”
My stomach tightened.
“Does she know you’re planning to return here tomorrow?”
He remained silent.
“Does she know you expect to sleep in our bedroom?”
More silence.
“Callum?”
“We haven’t really talked about that part. She’s uncomfortable with the idea of us still being intimate.”
I stared at the wall.
“And you think I’m comfortable with any of this? What exactly do you expect to happen when you walk through our front door?”
“I expect our relationship to continue the way it always has.”
“While you’re building another relationship across town?”
“I care about both of you, Maggie.”
“Then what am I supposed to be? Your wife on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays?”
“Maggie, please.”
“No. You’re the one who turned our marriage into a weekly schedule.”
From the hallway, I heard Kieran move in his sleep.
I lowered my voice.
“What am I supposed to tell our son when you disappear again on Thursday?”
“We’ll figure out how to explain it together.”
“Explain what? That Daddy belongs to this house for part of the week and another house for the rest?”
“I don’t want Kieran getting hurt.”
“Neither do I. That’s exactly why I refuse to pretend this arrangement is healthy just because you’ve decided to call it a compromise.”
His voice grew sharper.
“So what are you trying to tell me?”
“I’m telling you that you will always be Kieran’s father. Your responsibilities toward him don’t disappear. But you don’t get to decide what kind of marriage I must accept simply because it makes your life easier.”
He fell silent for a moment.
“Then what’s happening tomorrow?”
“You can come at four. Spend time with Kieran first. Afterward, you and I will have a conversation.”
“Maggie…”
“I’ve listened to your plan, Callum. Tomorrow, you’re going to hear mine.”
I hung up.
And for the first time all weekend, I didn’t feel compelled to call him back.
BY MONDAY AFTERNOON, I HAD PREPARED A WRITTEN OUTLINE OF WHAT KIERAN NEEDED FROM BOTH OF US.
At 4:23, I heard Callum’s key turning in the front door.
“Hey,” he called as he stepped inside. “I hope you’ve had the weekend to calm down and think reasonably about everything.”
He was carrying the same travel bag he had taken with him on Friday.
But his expression shifted when he saw the papers neatly spread across the kitchen table.
“What’s going on here?”
I pulled out the chair across from me.
“Have a seat, Callum.”
He set his bag beside the sofa and sat down.
His gaze immediately fell on the schedule.
Monday through Wednesday.
But the heading didn’t say Husband.
It said Kieran.
Beneath it were the everyday responsibilities our son relied on.
School pickup.
Dinner preparation.
Bath time.
Bedtime.
Morning routines.
Callum picked up the paper and frowned.
“Hold on. This isn’t what we discussed.”
“We didn’t discuss anything. You informed me of what you’d already decided.”
“You said Monday through Wednesday would be your time with Kieran. I’ve written down what taking care of him actually involves.”
“This is absurd.”
I held his gaze.
“Which part? Picking him up from school? Feeding him dinner? Getting him ready for bed?”
Callum tossed the paper onto the table.
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
“Actually, I don’t. You claimed this arrangement would keep his life stable. I’m asking you to show me how.”
He leaned back and sighed in frustration.
“I never said I’d stop being his father during the other four days.”
“Then don’t propose a plan that makes parenting sound like something you clock into three days a week.”
His expression grew darker.
“And what happens to our relationship?”
I looked directly at him.
“That’s the part of your arrangement you never bothered to consider.”
“I’m not abandoning our marriage, Maggie.”
“You packed a bag on Friday, went to another woman’s house, and returned Monday with a timetable.”
“This is still my home.”
“You’ve chosen to spend four nights every week somewhere else. That changes our relationship, regardless of what you want to call it.”
I pushed another page toward him.
“If you’re continuing your relationship with Elena, then as far as I’m concerned, we’re separated. You don’t automatically return to our bedroom. You don’t expect me to cook for you, wash your clothes, offer affection, or act like your wife whenever Monday comes around.”
Callum stared at me.
“You’ve made all these decisions in just one weekend?”
“You made your own decisions months ago. You simply waited until Friday to inform me.”
Before he could answer, his phone started ringing.
He glanced at the screen.
Then he immediately declined the call.
A few seconds later, it rang again.
“Is that Elena?” I asked.
“It’s not important.”
“Does she know you’re here?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Then answer it.” Callum rose abruptly to his feet.
“Now isn’t a good time.”
I tilted my head.
“For whom?”
Without responding, he headed toward the back door.
FIVE MINUTES LATER, CALLUM RETURNED TO THE KITCHEN LOOKING NOTICEABLY PALE.
I said nothing.
He stood beside his chair for a moment before asking,
“What exactly have you told Elena about us?”
I frowned.
“Why would I have told her anything?”
His shoulders tensed.
“Whatever happens between Elena and me is private.”
“Not when you’ve been using our marriage to explain your relationship with her. If you’ve told her a version of my life that involves me, I deserve to know what it is.”
I waited for him to respond.
“Did you tell her we were already separated?”
Callum kept his eyes on the floor.
“Answer me.”
“I said we’d become more like two people raising a child together.”
“Did you tell her I knew that?”
He said nothing.
“Does Elena believe our marriage ended before the two of you became involved?”
He turned toward the window.
And suddenly, everything became clear.
“You told her you were leaving me.”
“I said our situation was complicated.”
“No, Callum. You gave her one version of the truth and gave me an entirely different one.”
He pressed his fingers against his forehead.
“I was trying to make sure nobody got hurt.”
“Then explain why I was the last person to discover that my marriage was supposedly over.”
He had no response.
“And that’s exactly why I’m refusing your proposal. You haven’t been truthful with either woman.”
Callum shoved his chair backward.
“I need to get outside for a while.”
“Then go. But we’re not pretending this conversation never happened.”
He picked up his travel bag and walked out.
The following evening, Kieran was constructing a tower on the living room floor when my phone vibrated.
A message appeared from an unfamiliar number.
“I think Callum told us completely different stories. You don’t have to answer me.”
I stared at the screen for a moment.
Then I typed a single question.
“Did he tell you I had agreed to him living in both homes?”
Several minutes later, a response arrived.
“No. He told me you both understood that your marriage was emotionally finished and that you were only sharing a home because of Kieran.”
I read the message twice.
Then I responded.
“Thank you for explaining.”
I believed she was telling me what Callum had allowed her to believe.
And although I had countless questions, Elena wasn’t the person who had stood beside me and promised to build a life together.
Callum was the one who owed me honesty.
TWO DAYS LATER, CALLUM CAME OVER AFTER FINISHING WORK.
“Kieran’s almost done with dinner,” I told him. “The parenting schedule is on the refrigerator.”
He moved closer and lowered his voice.
“You’ve been talking to Elena.”
“She contacted me.”
“You shouldn’t have questioned her about our relationship.”
“You told her our marriage had effectively ended while telling me you were still committed to it.”
Callum glanced uneasily toward the hallway.
“Can we please not argue where Kieran might hear?”
I nodded.
“Absolutely. We’ll discuss it once he’s asleep.”
My agreement appeared to catch him off guard.
That evening, Callum took care of the entire bedtime routine.
He helped Kieran bathe.
Packed his school backpack.
