My husband sent another woman a huge bouquet of white roses and pink peonies with a card signed “Love, Daniel,” and by one careless mistake, those flowers arrived at our house instead.

His response was “Don’t do that.” I asked, “Do what?”

He said, “Make everything sound worse than it is.” Apparently my description, not his actions, was the problem. I stared before telling him, “Daniel, I don’t have to make this worse.” Then I gestured toward the flowers: “You did that for me.”

I retreated to the kitchen to put some distance between us; naturally, he followed. He said, “Claire, listen to me.” I answered, “I have been listening to you for a year.” He demanded, “What does that mean?” I