The words hung in the air like something fragile that had already shattered.

“Here?” I repeated. “This seems like exactly the right place.”

The receptionist had frozen behind her desk, pretending not to listen while clearly hearing every word. A few employees lingered nearby, their curiosity poorly disguised.

This wasn’t the quiet, obedient wife he had left at home.

And he knew it.

“You should go home,” he added, softer now. “We’ll talk there.”