MY EX-WIFE CAME TO SEE OUR SON. SHE ENDED UP STAYING THE NIGHT. I LET HER SLEEP ON THE COUCH. AFTER MIDNIGHT, I HEARD SOMETHING I WASN’T SUPPOSED TO HEAR.

Then, there was Diane. My ex-wife. I would love to tell you that the divorce was filled with dramatic confrontations and betrayals, but it wasn’t. It was quieter than that. There were no affairs or wild accusations — just two people who grew in different directions. Two people who had, over time, become more like roommates than spouses. We had done our best to co-parent Cooper, and despite the awkwardness that sometimes came with it, we had managed to keep things civil. I had told myself, repeatedly, that it was the right thing. The mature thing.

But that was before the night she showed up. That was before everything changed.