Page 53 of The Breaking Point

I look up, meet his eyes, and say, “How I’ll castrate you if you ever cheat on me again.”

The waiter choosesthatexact moment to arrive with our main course. He places the plates down with stiff precision, then practically bolts without another word.

I nearly choke on my drink from laughing so hard. Aiden grins wide, hand over his mouth, shaking his head.

I’m not okay with the cheating. Not even a little. It’s a topic I’ve tried to avoid in therapy, dodging it at every turn. Ever since I asked Aiden for the details, it has felt easier to focus on everything else that went wrong in our marriage, everything else we could fix, just so I wouldn’t have to sit in that particular pain. The truth is, the rest of it? The distance, the silence, the missed chances? That feels fixable. Manageable. But the cheating… it just won’t stop hurting. It lives somewhere sharp and deep, untouched and raw.

Aiden says, “Alex’s game season starts soon.”

The shift jerks me out of my thoughts. I blink and say, “Yeah. Next month.” I run my fingers along the condensation of my glass. “They already sent the email about needing parent chaperones for the away games. I… I was thinking you might want to go.”

His eyebrows rise, surprised. “Yeah? Yeah. I would.”

Before, I would’ve told him to enjoy his day off while I handled it. I always took over, always assumed. But now, I don’t want to miss out. I want to share the day off. I want to show up andenjoyshowing up.

Chapter 20

“I mean,” he adds with a shrug, “I’ll need the exercise now that I cancelled my gym membership.”

I glance up. “You did?”

“Yeah,” he says. “I realized… there’s no real reason a married father of two needs to be at the gym every day. I still might go sometimes, just to stay active, but I’ll just get a pass. No more obsessive lifting or cardio spreadsheets.”

Something about that makes me smile. “I think we’d enjoy that,” I say. “Maybe go hiking or something.”

“Just the two of us,” he finishes.

I nod, letting the words settle between us.Just the two of us.There’s a weight in that. But also, a beginning.

“I think we just broke one of the rules,” I say, nudging my wine glass aside and grinning at him across the table.

He leans in, eyes warm. “Damn. I won’t tell if you don’t.”

He takes another sip of his drink, then tilts his head. “How’s work?”

“It’s good,” I say, reaching for my fork. “I mean, I’m still technically on vacation. But… actually, Matthew’s been talkingabout retiring. And he said he’s going to recommend either me or Grant for his position.”

Aiden’s eyebrows rise. “Wow. That’s huge, Kate.”

“It’s not official,” I say quickly. “But Matthew’s role? That was the goal. It’s what I’ve worked toward for years.”

He catches the shift in my tone. “Wasthe goal?”

I hesitate. “I don’t know… it just feels like more responsibility. Less actual work, more politics. More hours away.”

He nods slowly. “I get that. But…” He sets his fork down, offering me a little smile. “If they haveanyidea how amazing Kate Bennet is, they’d never even consider giving that job to anyone else.”

I look at him, a little thrown by the certainty in his voice. It makes something shift in my chest. “How about you?” I ask, taking another bite. “How’s NASA?”

He shrugs. “It’s fine.” Then, without pause, he sighs. “No. It’s not. I’m just… tired, Kate. Tired of the politics, the endless meetings, the red tape. I love the work; I really do but lately it’s all tours and public talks. I haven’t been on a real project in months.”

I study him. Aiden’s always been a builder, a solver, someone who needs tocreateto breathe. Hearing that spark fade from his voice twists something inside me.

“And?” I ask gently.

He hesitates, then exhales. “I’ve been thinking about quitting. For a while now.”

I blink. “Quitting NASA?”

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