Page 84 of Absolution

“Sometimes boring is exactly what I need,” I say quietly, though I’m not entirely sure I believe it.

They both pause. Trish gives me a small, knowing smile before leaning forward, her voice gentler than it’s been all afternoon.

“Just don’t settle for nice,” she says. “You deserve more.”

Kate lifts her glass. “Amen.”

I glance at Trish, curiosity tugging at the edges of my chest. “Are you ever going to tell us your story?”

Kate nods, eyes lighting up. “Yeah, seriously. You’re like our surviving-cheaters Yoda. All wise and cryptic.”

Trish chuckles, but there’s a flicker of something else behind her eyes. Setting her fork down, she folds her hands.

“In my story,” she says quietly, “I’m the bad guy.”

We both freeze. “What?”

She sighs, brushing her thumb over the rim of her glass. “My husband cheated on me, yes. That part’s true. But… I cheated on him first.”

Kate’s mouth falls open. Mine too.

Trish shrugs, like she’s spent years making peace with the mess of it. “I started this group because I’m weirdly qualified on both ends. And also… because it was my way of honouring my husband.”

There’s silence.

“I hurt him first,” she continues. “And he didn’t leave. He forgave me. Tried, really tried. And I took that for granted. A year later, I found out he fell in love with someone else and I lost my mind. I acted like I was innocent, like I hadn’t already cracked the foundation.”

Kate leans back, stunned. “Wow.”

“I’m not proud of any of it,” Trish says, her voice steady. “But I know what it’s like to betray and to be betrayed. And I also know that sometimes the worst thing you do… isn’t the end of your story. If you’re honest. If you’re willing to do the work.”

She pauses, her eyes distant. “I didn’t put in the work. After he stayed, I pushed it down. Pretended it hadn’t happened. We never talked about it again, not really. I didn’t earn his trust back. I just coasted on his forgiveness.”

She exhales sharply, like the memory still stings.

“That’s why I always tell couples to keep at it. Not just stay together, but actually do the work. Because staying doesn’t mean healing. And silence isn’t the same as peace.”

Kate is quiet now, even a little misty-eyed. I feel it too, how fragile all of it is. Love. Forgiveness. The illusion of moving on.

Trish straightens up, offering a faint smile. “It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being brave enough to clean up the mess. Together.”

I sip my wine, feeling the truth of it settle in my chest.

That's what I'm trying to do now. Clean up the wreckage, not with Kyle, but with myself. Piece by piece.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Kyle

My time with my mom has been… strange. A good kind of strange, though. Having to tell her Jackie left me because I cheated was painful, but necessary. I couldn’t risk her saying something to the kids without knowing the truth, even if it made her see me ashim.

She stayed the whole week. Spent time with the kids. With me. The girls were thrilled, Jemma and Iris even decided to bunk in one room so mom could keep sleeping in Jemma’s bed. It felt like a snapshot of something softer. Something we never had when I was a kid.

I just got back from dropping the kids at Jackie’s. It’s still weird, calling what used to be my househers. Like I’m visiting a past life.

When I walk in, I see all her bags by the door. She arrived with one. She’s somehow leaving with three.

“Wait, you’re leaving?”

---