Chapter 1

Dan and his wife Taylor stepped quietly into Sarah’s office for their weekly marriage counselling session. Sarah rose from her chair and offered a polite and practised smile, gesturing for them to take their usual seats on the couch. She had been seeing the couple for a little over a month. Each session revealed more of the painful fallout from Taylor’s recent affair—a betrayal that still lingered like an open wound between them.

Reconciliation was the goal, at least in theory. Whether either of them truly believed it was possible seemed to shift by the week. Sarah settled into her chair across from them, clipboard resting on her lap, though she rarely needed it. She studied them briefly. Taylor sat on the far end of the couch, her body angled away, arms crossed defensively over her chest. Dan was on the opposite side, hands resting on his knees, his expression unreadable but undeniably distant. The space between them was more than physical—it was the void of trust, raw and unhealed. Sarah tried to focus, tried to maintain her well-worn mask of calm professionalism.

But today, as had happened more often than she liked to admit, she felt her gaze linger just a moment too long on Dan. There was something about him—his quiet strength that stirred something in her she hadn’t expected. It was wrong, of course. Inappropriate. A violation of her professional duty. And yet ... it was there, brewing beneath the surface. She blinked, tearing her eyes away, and cleared her throat lightly. Time to begin.

”So”, Sarah said, in what she hoped was an encouraging voice, “How did things go for you in the past week?”

Taylor spoke first while Dan appeared to be a million miles away, wishing he was anywhere but here. “Well, I think we are making some progress,” Taylor began. “We tried some of the role playing exercises you suggested.” Sarah looked at Dan. He was staring out the window. “Would you like to say anything Dan, before we begin?” “Sarah, you’re a great counsellor and you’ve given us some things to think about, but we still need a lot of help,” he said, turning to face her.

Dan’s voice was low, steady, but there was a tremor beneath it that only someone paying close attention might notice. He looked directly at her, not at Taylor, and for a fleeting second, the room seemed to shrink around them. Sarah felt her pulse quicken, though she forced herself to remain composed. She leaned forward slightly, her fingers brushing against the edge of her clipboard as if to ground herself. The way he said her name sent a shiver down her spine. It wasn’t just the sound of it. It was the way he said it. She swallowed, forcing a small, encouraging smile. Her mind raced. Was it her imagination? Or had he always spoken to her like that?

“I have a suggestion,” said Dan, continuing to look towards Sarah, ignoring his wife. “Are you okay if we have separate sessions with you today. Maybe that will work better for us.”

Sarah paused, her eyes flicking back and forth between Dan and Taylor. She could feel the tension in the room. Her heart pounded in her chest. Her gaze returned to him, studying him closely. His face was a mask of neutrality, betraying none of his thoughts or intentions. Yet, there was a certain intensity in his eyes that made her stomach flutter. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. This was unusual. But then again, so were the circumstances. They both knew why they were here. They both understood what was at stake.