Jack believed that he was in charge of the marriage. Hence, when he discovered that I had handled the situation independently without consulting him, he angrily called to confront me.

If it were the Jack of eight years ago, he would not have allowed me to yield—he would have struggled to keep me safe at all costs. The 28-year-old Jack was different from his 20-year-old self. I bent my head, my eyes naturally reddening.

There was an absolute silence on both sides of the line, with only the sound of our breathing audible. Over a minute had elapsed, but Jack still hadn't spoken.

Not caring to wait any longer, I...