after ending the marriage, each of you started a new life from scratch. Nicole returned to Los Angeles, where she would stay at her mother’s house until she found the right place to rent. she was also going back to work as an actress. you had stayed in New York —you couldn’t just walk away from your job.

she was granted custody of Henry, so on your days off, you flew to L.A. to spend time with him. like this time. but your time with him passed quickly, and you had to bring him back to where Nicole was staying.

you weren’t surprised when her mother greeted you with a big hug and invited you to stay for dinner. Sandra had always liked you —maybe a bit too much. both you and Nicole assumed that sharing a table after everything would feel awkward, but it was the opposite. the atmosphere was warm, you shared a glass of wine and talked about what you’d been up to lately.

when it was finally time to leave, you heard your ex-wife’s voice calling from the stairs, asking you to wait. she was coming down, wrapped in her wool coat.

“don’t you want to stay on the couch?” she asked carefully. "It’s really late. I’ll get up early and take you to the airport."