I shrug. “The secrets she hid. The fights she picked. It was like she wanted the marriage to fail.”
“And what about you?” Jessa asks. “What did you want?”
I weigh my answer for a while. “I wanted the marriage to endure,” I say at last.
“It means I expected to stay married to her, at least legally.”
“But you wanted to live separate lives?” Jessa asks, eyebrows raised.
“It sounds ugly when you put it like that.”
“I’m guessing it would sound ugly any which way. I’m not surprised she was miserable.”
I glare at her. “Are you her spokeswoman?”
She gives me a small smile. “I can’t speak for your wife, but I think I know what most women want at the end of the day.”
“To be seen,” she replies quietly. “To be heard. To be valued.”
I fall silent, but she continues to observe me. I can tell h
