With rare free time on my hands and no need to care for Crispin, I treated this week as a small vacation for myself.

Each day at home was filled with eating, sleeping, and scrolling through my phone, as if the world outside had no bearing on me.

For a whole week, Crispin was either at work or taking care of Jillian. He began to entertain the thought of returning to our home, believing that this time apart would lead me to realize my mistake and come crawling back.

He imagined cooking his favorite meals and preparing his favorite soups, hoping that when he got home, I would apologize and...