Page 144 of Faultlines

He leans forward, his posture one of intense focus. “We should have brought Claire in months ago.”

A crease forms between my eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“This is the quickest I’ve ever gotten you to be honest with yourself.”

Watching another man hold Claire’s attention, watching another man make her smile, was devastating. I’m such a bastard.

He studies me, and then turns to Claire. “Claire, do you have thoughts on what Ethan said?”

“Yes, it makes me angry.” Her voice rises. “I saw you fucking another woman, Ethan. You constantly lied to me for months about your relationship with her. You made me feel like I was going crazy when I asked questions. You didn’t just have a physical affair. You also had an emotional affair.”

Her voice cracks on the last word. Without thinking, I reach for the unopened box of tissues on the table and slide it toward her. I don’t tell her it’s going to be okay. I don’t ask if she’s all right. I just leave it within reach.

“Ethan, I can see the confusion on your face. How would you characterize your affair with Brooke?” he asks.

My brow pinches as I study him. “I don’t understand the question.”

He folds his hands in his lap. “People tend to think of affairs as a single category, but they’re not. Broadly speaking, there are two patterns we talk about most often: physical affairs and emotional affairs.”

“I managed to pick the worst one.”

“We’ll get to that,” he says gently. “Tell me what you think the difference is.”

“A physical affair is... sex. Crossing that line.”

“Yes,” he says. “A physical affair centers on sexual intimacy. It may or may not involve an emotional bond. Sometimes it’s impulsive. Sometimes it’s ongoing. But the defining characteristic is the physical relationship.”

I nod once.

“An emotional affair,” he continues, “is different. It develops when someone outside the relationship begins occupying the emotional space that once belonged to a partner. Secrets become easier to share with that person than with your spouse. You seek their comfort first. Their opinion starts carrying more weight. The emotional intimacy becomes exclusive.”

I stare at the carpet.

“You don’t have to be having sex for that kind of betrayal to be devastating,” he says. “Many couples tell me the emotional secrecy hurts even more.”

“So, if you’re texting someone all day... looking forward to seeing them... telling them things you haven’t told your wife...” Claire cuts in.

“Those are common warning signs.” He explains.

“And hiding it,” Claire says.

“Yes,” he replies.

I rubs a hand over my face.

“I kept telling myself we were just friends.”

“What made you believe that?” he asks.

“Because if I admitted it was becoming something else...” I look away. “Then I’d have to admit I was doing something wrong.”

He waits a beat before speaking.

“One type doesn’t excuse the other. In many cases, they overlap. An emotional affair can become physical, and a physical affair often develops emotional attachment over time.”

“I didn’t just sleep with someone else.” The words scrape their way out. “I complained about my marriage. I let someone else become the person I vented to. I started looking forward to seeing her.”

“What are you realizing as you say that?”