Forever and ever 2. The adventure starts now.

Part 150.

Y/N's pov~

On May 20th, Tom and I had our first couples therapy session. It had been officially a week since Tom couldn't even bear to sleep in the same bed with me anymore. His side was always cold and empty, and talking to him led to nothing but arguments. He sat with his arms crossed on the other side of the couch, our therapist, Ms. Manshetter, sitting across from us.

"I assume you both came here in separate cars?" she asked, taking us both in, and since Tom was quieter than my breaths, I answered for both of us with a shake of my head.

"No, we came together," I said, despite the bitter silence in the car.

"Uh-huh," she squinted her eyes, looking doubtful, but I wasn't the psychologist in the room.

"What? Is that good?" I asked. After all, it could have been worse if we had come in separate cars, right?

"Do you want it to be good?" was her counter-question, and I looked over to Tom to see what he thought. Was he glad we were still able to endure being in a car together? Or was I reading too much into the question?

"I think so," I nodded. I would do anything to make progress in our relationship. Ms. Manshetter wisely took my words in and then turned to my husband.

"What about you, Mr. Holland? You're quite quiet," she absorbed. "Do you also see it positively to have come here in a car with your wife?"

Tom clenched his jaw, not expecting to have to speak up so early on. Then he gave me a sidelong glance that lasted no longer than a second before returning his gaze to the therapist.

"No," he muttered, and that was it. A word that scratched deep in my throat.

The therapist didn't react much, probably used to dealing with couples like us all the time.
"Well, why don't you tell me a bit about yourselves and why you're here?" Mr. Manshetter poised her pen, ready to take notes to keep track of our conversation. I was the first to speak up, breaking the silence.

"Sure," My voice quivered slightly, each word poised on the edge of uncertainty, yet I steadied myself as Tom seemed to notice and offered nothing but a daring glance my way. I couldn't afford to appear crude in our very first session, but merely the thought of where we sat was enough to give my heart pause.

"Tom and I have been separated for the past few months due to our jobs, and during that time, we seemed to have drifted apart. I've only been back for about two weeks now, and we're struggling to reconnect."

"You've only encountered problems for two weeks?"

"Oh, no. It's been longer than that," I glanced at Tom, hoping he might contribute, but he remained silent. "For... for a few months now," I confirmed.

"And what about you, Mr. Holland? Do you share the same perspective as your wife? Or do you have a different explanation for the challenges in your relationship?"

Tom adjusted the creases in his pants, shifted in his seat, and cleared his throat before speaking, taking his time as if weighing each word.

"Yes, she's correct," he nodded.

"Correct about what?" She inquired.

"We're struggling to reconnect," he clarified.

"And what do you believe could be causing this?"

Tom didn't hesitate with his response. "Her affair." He cast me a penetrating glance, without any pretense. It took a moment for Mr. Manshetter to process his blunt words, jotting something down on her notepad before nodding in understanding.