The next morning, after my bath, I dressed quickly, grabbed my suitcase, and headed downstairs. I was almost at the door when Payton began to stir on the couch. The moment she saw me fully dressed with luggage in hand, her eyes widened in surprise. She scrambled to her feet and hurried toward me.
“Richard, what’s going on? Where are you going?”
I sighed. “I’m sorry, Payton. I was going to tell you… I have to travel to California for an important business meeting.”
“What?” Her voice cracked. “We had an argument yesterday and you didn’t think we should fix things first? You couldn’t even come to me last night like you always do so we could—”
I smiled, bitter and tired. “Like I always do, huh? So I could come begging again? ‘Please forgive me, Payton. It’s all my fault.’”
“That’s not wha
