Once Kieran settled down with his toys, I took a notebook from the kitchen drawer.
I opened it to a blank page and began examining Callum’s proposed arrangement.
School transportation.
Breakfast and dinner.
Bath time.
Bedtime stories.
Household bills.
Medical emergencies.
Family responsibilities.
Our shared bedroom.
Our marriage itself.
The longer I looked at the list, the clearer the problem became.
Callum’s arrangement could only function if the parts of his life that benefited him remained untouched.
He expected the stability of marriage without accepting its responsibilities.
At the bottom of the page, I wrote a single question.
What does Callum actually believe will remain unchanged?
***
By Sunday evening, I understood the answer.
Everything that made his own life comfortable.
Kieran curled up beside me on the sofa while we watched a cartoon.
“Daddy’s coming back tomorrow, right?”
“He’s coming to spend time with you tomorrow.”
