Now I understood that a ring was never proof of commitment. Mark had worn one while lying to Claire and left another in our drawer while lying to me.
Neither ring had made him faithful.
Then Claire sent me a message. She’d started taking painting classes and asked if I’d like to join her.
I said yes.
For months, I’d wondered what Claire had that I didn’t. But meeting her taught me something important: neither of us was better than the other. We were simply two women who had trusted the same man and been denied the truth.
Mark had spent years arranging his life so he never had to choose between us.
In the end, we made that choice for him.
He was free to marry Claire, but she no longer wanted him. He could return to his fishing trips, but his friends didn’t want him there either.
And I was finally free to build a life where I didn’t have to inspect my husband’s hands to know whether he was telling me the truth.
