Page 61 of The Yoga Teacher

“Hannah and I are separated,” he said quietly. Evenly.

Not defensive. Not performative.

Just truth.

Hannah glanced at him then. Just briefly.

His face was steady. But his eyes—they never left her.

Paula blinked. “Wait—what? But you guys were, like… couples-goals.”

The old ache stirred.

Here it was.

The part where he’d protect himself. Shape the story. Let her take the fall.

Hannah waited for the spin.

But it didn’t come.

Daniel cleared his throat. “I messed up.”

Silence.

Paula tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“I broke our marriage,” he said. “I did something unforgivable. Hannah deserves better than that. She always did.”

The words fell into the space between them like stones in a still lake.

Hannah couldn’t look at him. Couldn’t move.

Her breath went shallow. Her fingers curled tighter around her glass.

She hadn’t expected that. Not in front of people. Not so bare.

Paula blinked, eyes wide. “Wow. I… I didn’t know.”

Daniel nodded. “Yeah. I figured.”

Paula’s voice softened. “Are you two still… okay?”

Before Hannah could answer, Daniel did.

“I don’t expect Hannah to ever forgive me,” he said. “But if you’re asking whether she did anything wrong?” His voice sharpened slightly. “She didn’t. Not one thing.”

He looked at Paula just long enough to say it, then turned back to Hannah.

Andstayedthere.

His gaze didn’t plead. It didn’t beg. It didn’t ask for comfort.

It justwas.

She looked at him, the man who had once been hers.

And when she finally looked away, it wasn’t because she was angry.

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