Mom's brow furrows as she attempts to work that out. I'm not about to explain. Or concede Bella's point.
Mom clears her throat. "You're young. You have time.
Bella stares at me. Let it go.
I stare back. No fucking way.
Bella sets her silverware down. She pulls her napkin from her lap and tosses it on the table. "Excuse me. I'm going to… actually, I don't feel well. I think I'm going home."
"Bella—"
Mom clears her throat. "Great idea, sweetie. We'll get some coffee and see you later."
"Yes. Good. I'll, um. It's been really nice talking to you." She offers Mom a pained smile. Her eyes catch mine. They scream how could you.
But she says nothing.
She walks away, calmly, like nothing has ever bothered her.
Mom leans in to whisper. "Sweetheart, what was that?"
"You saw her expression when she brought up law school." My eyes stay on my plate. "I'm not going to stand back and let her ruin her life."
"It's her life to ruin."
"She's my wife."
Mom's expression gets serious. "You and Daphne are everything to me. But you've only been married a few days. You don't get to claim she's your wife like it's been thirty years."
"And you know what about marriage?"
She doesn't shrink back. "I gave your father everything I had. He didn't give back."
I bite my tongue.
"You know that's true, Joel. He's not a bad man. I still love him. I always will. But he isn't the kind of partner I want anymore. I want my own life." She looks to the bathroom. "And your wife, she wants her own life too. Not one curated by Joel Young."
"I'm not—"
"You are."
Maybe. But— "She needs a push."
"From you?"
"From somebody.
"Have you tried looking at things from her perspective?"
"I'm not going to let her throw her happiness away."
"Have you?"
Not exactly.
But Mom already knows that. It's written all over her face.
Fine. I take a deep breath and I try to put myself in Bella's shoes.