Part 2/11:
The man, observant and quietly composed, notices Madison’s detachment—the way she greets him, the casual sip from her glass, and the subtle slip of her robe revealing a hickey above her collarbone. A symbol of past innocence, now a sign of a different kind of intimacy. Her words are casual, her tone dismissive: “Oh, you're still here,” as if her affections had evaporated overnight.
As he silently processes her revelation—she’s found someone who truly sees her—the name "Zack" emerges, unfamiliar to him, signaling that this affair is no fleeting mistake. It’s a secret life—something he never suspected. Her nonchalant confession—“I think it’s time we stop pretending this marriage is working. I found someone who actually sees me”—shatters his assumptions.