My husband invited his boss to our house, but just before he arrived, he looked at me with disgust and whispered, “Stay in the bedroom. I’m ashamed to have you seen like this. If my boss sees you, you’ll ruin my promotion.”

in a decade, saw him clearly. “So you stayed to protect your reputation.”

Alejandro realized his mistake a second too late. “That’s not what I meant—”

“That is exactly what you said.”

“In the beginning, I stayed because I loved you!” he insisted, his voice rising defensive anger. “Because you were completely broken! I’m the one who dragged you to therapy! I’m the one who cooked your meals! I put up with your sleepless nights for years!”

“And I spent seven years feeling guilty for it,” she replied quietly.

“Guilty?