I looked lovely. For the first time in years, I felt visible. I chatted briefly with that stranger—Daniel—shared dessert, and when he asked for my number, I gave it. He never called, and that was fine. I didn’t need him to. The next morning, I sat at our kitchen table with a cup of coffee and divorce papers. Eric was stunned. “Over a burrito bowl?”
he asked. “It wasn’t the burrito,” I said. “It was everything before the burrito. And everything you never saw. I didn’t leave because of one night. I left because I finally understood: I deserve to be seen—and I won’t settle for less anymore.