There’s a tradition in some cultures where if someone compliments something of yours three times, you’re obligated to give said item to that person.

Hayley certainly wasn’t mine to give away. Fifteen years of marriage allowed for a lot between husband and wife, but we’d never become each other’s possessions.

Still, I was excited by the attention Stewart was giving my spouse. His eyes had been tracking her all night at the party. Now and then, almost like he was only half-aware, he would murmur some laudatory comment about her.

Stewart was at the age I had been when Hayley and I got married. He and I both worked at the same firm, and this fancy gala we were all attending was to benefit a worthwhile charity our company supported. Hayley, as usual, was mingling with... Read More