“Yes.”

“Wouldn’t you rather spend it alone together?”

“I’d like everyone there, Mom.”

She hesitated.

Then said,

“All right, sweetheart.”

I called Eve next.

She was delighted.

“An anniversary dinner with the whole family? That sounds wonderful!”

She promised to bring dessert.

When I told Elon, he seemed confused.

“I thought we had reservations at Lucia’s.”

“I changed the plans.”

“Why?”

“I thought it would be nice to celebrate with the family.”

He studied my face.

Then shrugged.

“Whatever you want.”

He had no idea what I’d been preparing.

I wasn’t inviting everyone because I wanted to humiliate him.

I needed the truth to exist somewhere outside my own thoughts.

I’d been carrying it alone for six days.

And I couldn’t keep pretending that our marriage was perfectly normal.

On Sunday afternoon, I cooked dinner.

Chicken.

Mashed potatoes.

Vegetables.

I placed the white tablecloth from our wedding across the dining table.

Then I put the folder containing our prenuptial agreement in a drawer nearby.

My parents, Sam and Jessica, arrived first.

Mom immediately took Sophie into her arms.

Dad wandered toward the stove and tried stealing a taste of the mashed potatoes.

“Sam!” Mom scolded.

“Quality control,” he replied.

Then Eve and Alex arrived with a cherry pie and a little board book for Sophie.

The house filled with familiar conversation.

Everyone seemed happy.

Elon opened wine.

Dad and Alex discussed football.

My mother and Eve compared family photographs.

For a brief moment, standing in the kitchen doorway, I almost lost my courage.

We looked like a perfectly happy family.

A beautiful baby.

A comfortable home.

Four loving grandparents.

And a husband smiling as though nothing had changed.

Before dinner, I approached Elon while he was opening another bottle.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Is there anything going on that I should know about?”

He looked confused.

“What do you mean?”

“Anything involving work? Or us? Something you haven’t told me?”

He stared directly into my eyes.

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

Then he kissed my forehead.

“Everything’s fine, Maddie.”

That was the moment my uncertainty disappeared.

I’d given him one final opportunity to tell the truth privately.

And he chose to lie again.

We sat down for dinner.

Everyone talked.

Laughed.

Ate.

Sophie rested in my mother’s arms.

Then Eve turned toward me.

“Elon mentioned you might extend your maternity leave,” she said warmly. “I think that’s wonderful.”

I slowly looked at my husband.

“You told your parents that?”

He shrugged.

“I said we’d been discussing it.”

I placed my fork down.

“Actually, I’m returning to work on the fifteenth.”

Eve blinked.

“Oh! Well, that’s wonderful too, honey.”

“I’ve already made childcare arrangements.”

Elon looked visibly irritated.

Nobody else spoke.

I calmly continued eating.

A little later, Elon followed me into the kitchen.

“When were you planning to tell me about daycare?”

I turned.

“About a decision concerning my own career?”

“We’re married, Madeline.”

“I know.”

“Then why did I have to find out in front of my parents?”

I looked at him for a long moment.

He seemed genuinely offended that I’d made a decision without telling him.

The irony was almost unbearable.

“That’s an interesting question,” I replied.

He frowned.

“What does that mean?”

I picked up my glass.

“You’ll understand soon.”

Then I returned to the dining room.

Everyone looked up.

I remained standing.

“I’d like to make a toast.”

Elon slowly sat down.

I looked at our parents.

Then at my husband.

“I originally planned something very different for tonight.”

Eve smiled.

“I was going to talk about how Elon and I met. About the barbecue and the burning hot dog.”

A few people laughed.

“I was going to talk about the night we got lost on the way to the lake and ended up eating dinner at a gas station.”

Elon looked down.

“And I was going to talk about the day Sophie was born. How he held my hand through labor and cried when he finally met her.”

My voice softened.

“Those memories were real. They still matter to me.”

The room grew quiet.

Then I continued.

“But six days ago, I called my husband because I wanted to know when he’d be home for dinner.”

Elon’s face tightened.

“He thought he’d ended the call.”

His expression changed instantly.

I looked directly at him.

**“But the phone was still connected, Elon.”**

Nobody moved.

I continued.

“I heard you talking to a woman named Sierra.”

Eve slowly lowered her glass.

I felt my hand shaking, so I placed it against the table.

“You complained because I sent you three pictures of Sophie.”

Elon leaned forward.

“Maddie, please.”

“No.”

My voice remained steady.

“You told her I was driving you crazy. You told her you couldn’t stand being around me.”

My father set down his fork.

“And then you told her you’d divorce me and marry her.”

The room went completely silent.

Alex turned toward his son.

“Is that true?”

Elon rubbed his face.

“She heard part of a private conversation.”

“I heard enough,” I answered.

“Things were taken out of context.”

I looked at him.

“Were you having an affair with her?”

He didn’t answer.

The silence said more than any excuse could.

Then he pushed back his chair.

“You have no idea what these last few months have been like for me!”

I stared at him.

“For you?”

“Yes, Maddie! For me!”

His voice rose.

“Ever since Sophie was born, everything revolves around her. Feeding schedules. Diapers. Naps. You barely ask about my day anymore.”

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