“I told her things between us were pretty much finished.”
My stomach tightened.
“Does she know you’re planning to return here tomorrow?”
He said nothing.
“Does she know you expect to sleep in our bedroom?”
More silence.
“Callum?”
“We haven’t really talked about that part. She’s uncomfortable with the idea of us still being intimate.”
I stared at the wall.
“And you think I’m comfortable with any of this? What exactly do you expect to happen when you walk through our front door?”
“I expect our relationship to continue the way it always has.”
“While you’re building another relationship across town?”
“I care about both of you, Maggie.”
“Then what am I supposed to be? Your wife on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays?”
“Maggie, please.”
“No. You’re the one who turned our marriage into a weekly schedule.”
From the hallway, I heard Kieran shift in his sleep.
I lowered my voice.
“What am I supposed to tell our son when you disappear again on Thursday?”
“We’ll figure out how to explain it together.”
“Explain what? That Daddy belongs to this house for part of the week and another house for the rest?”
“I don’t want Kieran getting hurt.”
“Neither do I. That’s exactly why I refuse to pretend this arrangement is healthy just because you’ve decided to call it a compromise.”
His tone sharpened.
“So what are you trying to tell me?”
“I’m telling you that you will always be Kieran’s father. Your responsibilities toward him don’t disappear. But you don’t get to decide what kind of marriage I must accept simply because it makes your life easier.”
He was quiet for a moment.
“Then what’s happening tomorrow?”
“You can come at four. Spend time with Kieran first. Afterward, you and I will have a conversation.”
“Maggie…”
“I’ve listened to your plan, Callum. Tomorrow, you’re going to hear mine.”
I ended the call.
And for the first time all weekend, I didn’t feel the urge to phone him back.
By Monday afternoon, I had prepared a written outline of what Kieran needed from both of us.
At 4:23, I heard Callum’s key turning in the front door.
“Hey,” he called as he entered. “I hope you’ve had the weekend to calm down and think reasonably about everything.”
He carried the same travel bag he had taken on Friday.
But his expression changed when he noticed the papers arranged neatly across the kitchen table.
“What’s going on here?”
I pulled out the chair opposite me.
“Have a seat, Callum.”
He lowered his bag beside the sofa and sat down.
His eyes immediately landed on the schedule.
Monday through Wednesday.
But the heading didn’t say Husband.
It said Kieran.
Underneath were the ordinary tasks our son depended on.
School pickup.
Dinner preparation.
Bath time.
Bedtime.
Morning routines.
Callum picked up the paper and frowned.
“Hold on. This isn’t what we discussed.”
“We didn’t discuss anything. You informed me of what you’d already decided.”
“You said Monday through Wednesday would be your time with Kieran. I’ve written down what taking care of him actually involves.”
“This is absurd.”
I looked at him steadily.
“Which part? Picking him up from school? Feeding him dinner? Getting him ready for bed?”
Callum dropped the paper onto the table.
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
“Actually, I don’t. You claimed this arrangement would keep his life stable. I’m asking you to show me how.”
He leaned back with an irritated sigh.
“I never said I’d stop being his father during the other four days.”
“Then don’t propose a plan that makes parenting sound like something you clock into three days a week.”
His expression darkened.
“And what happens to our relationship?”
I met his eyes.
“That’s the part of your arrangement you never bothered to consider.”
“I’m not abandoning our marriage, Maggie.”
“You packed a bag on Friday, went to another woman’s house, and returned Monday with a timetable.”
“This is still my home.”
“You’ve chosen to spend four nights every week somewhere else. That changes our relationship, regardless of what you want to call it.”
I slid another page toward him.
“If you’re continuing your relationship with Elena, then as far as I’m concerned, we’re separated. You don’t automatically return to our bedroom. You don’t expect me to cook for you, wash your clothes, offer affection, or act like your wife whenever Monday comes around.”
Callum stared at me.
“You’ve made all these decisions in just one weekend?”
“You made your own decisions months ago. You simply waited until Friday to inform me.”
Before he could respond, his phone began ringing.
He looked at the screen.
Then immediately rejected the call.
A few seconds later, it rang again.
“Is that Elena?” I asked.
“It’s not important.”
“Does she know you’re here?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Then answer it.”
Callum stood abruptly.
“Now isn’t a good time.”
I tilted my head.
“For whom?”
Without answering, he walked toward the back door.
Five minutes later, Callum returned to the kitchen looking noticeably pale.
I didn’t speak.
He stood beside his chair for a moment before asking,
“What exactly have you told Elena about us?”
I frowned.
“Why would I have told her anything?”
His shoulders stiffened.
“Whatever happens between Elena and me is private.”
“Not when you’ve been using our marriage to explain your relationship with her. If you’ve told her a version of my life that involves me, I deserve to know what it is.”
I waited.
“Did you tell her we were already separated?”
Callum stared at the floor.
“Answer me.”
“I said we’d become more like two people raising a child together.”
“Did you tell her I knew that?”
He remained silent.
“Does Elena believe our marriage ended before the two of you became involved?”
He looked toward the window.
And suddenly, I understood.
“You told her you were leaving me.”
“I said our situation was complicated.”
“No, Callum. You gave her one version of the truth and gave me an entirely different one.”
He rubbed his forehead.
“I was trying to make sure nobody got hurt.”
“Then explain why I was the last person to discover that my marriage was supposedly over.”
He had nothing to say.
“And that’s exactly why I’m refusing your proposal. You haven’t been truthful with either woman.”
Callum pushed his chair back.
“I need to get outside for a while.”
“Then go. But we’re not pretending this conversation never happened.”
He grabbed his travel bag and left.
The following evening, Kieran was building a tower on the living room floor when my phone buzzed.
The message came from a number I didn’t recognize.
“I think Callum told us completely different stories. You don’t have to answer me.”
I stared at the screen.
Then I typed one question.
“Did he tell you I had agreed to him living in both homes?”
A few minutes later, a reply appeared.
“No. He told me you both understood that your marriage was emotionally finished and that you were only sharing a home because of Kieran.”
I read the message twice.
Then I replied.
“Thank you for explaining.”
I believed she was telling me what Callum had led her to believe.
And although I had plenty of questions, Elena wasn’t the person who had stood beside me and promised to build a life together.
Callum was the one who owed me honesty.