Instead of the Apology

At their Christmas anniversary dinner, Jeremiah tells Zelda the marriage depends on an apology for slapping her best friend.

She never touched Candace. For eleven years she trusted Candace with everything, including how lonely the marriage had become; Candace used those confidences to draw closer to him, then claimed Zelda had struck her.

He believed it, made Zelda apologize in front of their friends, and left her begging for weeks to be heard.

She now knows he understands both the lie and that Candace wants him, and he still demands the apology.

The lights are on, their anniversary cake is waiting, and she is pregnant with the son they wanted.

She sets her wedding ring on the table and walks out, losing her husband and her best friend in the same night—and still wanting to call the two of them about how much it hurts.

Jeremiah had known for eight days. Admitting it would have exposed him, so he let his pregnant wife beg.

He carries the ring because she will not take it back, and he means to unmask Candace, confess to everyone who watched the humiliation, and earn a place Zelda may never offer again.

Candace still holds her secrets. He has already shown Zelda what happens when she trusts him to protect her.

This time he will choose her, even if she never chooses him.