“What about her?”
“Jason is excited to get to know her,” the therapist said.
“And he wants to make up for lost time.”
Jessica swallowed hard. “I’m happy for Jason,” she said.
“But I’m also scared. I don’t know what it’s going to be like to have her in our lives.
And there’s something more.”
Jessica lapsed into silence.
“It’s okay, Jessica,” the therapist encouraged.
“This is the time to say what you want to say.”
“All these years, Jason and I could never have children. We went for fertility testing. I was the one at fault.
The doctors said I would never have children.
We tried everything: fertility treatment, IVF, everything, and it didn’t work. I felt like a failure as a woman.
I’ve kept that pain hidden all this time. Now, to hear of Jason’s betrayal makes it all the more painful.
It makes me feel like a failure as a wife.”
“It’s so good that you got this off your chest, Jessica,” the therapist said.
“Now we can begin to work on those thoughts you’ve had about yourself. We can help you see that those judgments of yourself are false.”
“Yes,” Jason said. “Oh, love, I have never, ever, not once, thought of you as a failure.
Not as a woman, not as a wife, and I never will.”
“You don’t have to forgive Jason for his indiscretion; that is entirely up to you,” the therapist said.
But you are going to have to make an adjustment. It’s important to know that Skylar is part of your extended family now.
She has the right to know her father and to have a relationship with him.”
Jessica nodded. “I know.”
“Jason needs to learn how to balance his relationship with Skylar with his relationship with you,” the therapist said.
“And you need to be willing to give him that space.”
Jessica took a deep breath.
“I’m willing to try. I don’t know if I can forgive him, though. I’m willing to try, however.
I will try.”
“That’s all anyone can ask,” the therapist said.
The therapist spent the rest of the session helping Jessica and Jason to develop a plan for moving forward.
They agreed to communicate openly and honestly with each other and to give each other time to heal.
It was going to be a long and winding road, but Jessica was determined to make it work. She loved Jason, and she wanted to stay married to him.
And she knew that it was important for Skylar to have a relationship with her father.
Jessica and Jason left the therapist’s office with a renewed sense of hope. They knew that it would take time to rebuild their relationship, but they were committed to making it work.
They were determined to create a new normal for their family and to give Skylar the love and support she deserved.
If only it were that easy, however.
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