I called Claire a couple of days later. When I invited her around for dinner, she started crying, thanking me profusely. I simply told her it was time for all of us to let the past go, once and for all, letting her know what time to come visit on Friday evening. Asking if she could bring her son, I assured her that was fine. Then she dropped her own bombshell.

"I know he wouldn't have been invited anyway, but I wouldn't worry about it. Mark, he was cheating on me..."

I could have been a right bastard and retorted with at least one cutting remark. Things like 'Well, now...