---

Exhaustion Made Everything More Complicated

She also questioned herself.

Perhaps she was simply exhausted.

The baby was waking several times a night.

She had little time to herself.

Her emotions were constantly shifting.

She wondered whether sleep deprivation was making her suspicious.

This is an important part of the story because uncertainty can be especially powerful when someone is physically and emotionally exhausted.

She did not want to accuse her husband without evidence.

She also did not want to ignore a genuine warning sign.

So she waited.

---

The First Confrontation

Eventually, she asked him directly.

“Why do you keep leaving every night?”

He hesitated.

That hesitation bothered her more than the answer.

“I have something I need to take care of,” he finally said.

“What?”

“It’s complicated.”

That answer only made things worse.

If the situation was innocent, why couldn’t he explain it?

She pressed him again.

He became defensive.