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Jenny, a thirtysomething woman with limp blond hair and a long face, nodded. Her lower lip trembled as she stared up at Alexa, her eyes shiny with unshed tears.
“I know I’ve changed a lot since the baby came,” Jenny said, her voice thick with emotion. “I went into survival mode right after the birth, and I was too exhausted to do anything more than take care of little George. I guess I just fell into the habit of focusing solely on him, since he was the most vocal about needing my attention.”
Ainsley very nearly snorted in disgust. What kind of man cheated on his wife while she was taking care of their newborn son? What kind of narcissistic psychopath broke his marriage vows because his wife wasn’t stroking his ego (or other bits) while recovering from childbirth?
Alexa nodded sagely, her expression patient. “That’s exactly right,” she said, her voice pitched low in a soothing cadence. “Your marriage existed before your son came along. You need to nurture the connection with your husband so he doesn’t feel shut out of the new family dynamic.”
“I’m, uh, still recovering from the birth.” Jenny looked down at her lap and blushed. “I know it’s been nine months, but there was a lot of stitching involved, and my doctor told me the kind of repairs I had will affect...things.”
Alexa nodded again, like she understood exactly was Jenny was going through. In reality, the woman didn’t have children—she’d said as much when she’d introduced herself at the beginning of the week.
“I know having a baby can be a physically traumatic experience,” the counselor said. “But you’ve got to try to rekindle the flame for your husband.”
“Even if it hurts?” Jenny’s voice was impossibly small and Ainsley’s heart broke for her. Her husband was even worse than she’d initially thought.
Alexa smiled brightly. “I’m sure the pain is partly in your mind. Besides, there are things you can do to help. Have you seen a therapist?”
Ainsley bit her lip to keep from screaming. The woman was clearly exhausted from the demands of caring for her baby, in addition to healing from what sounded like a difficult birth. She needed to ditch the man-child—in her case, she’d be better off alone than tied to a guy who pressured her for sex despite her pain, and cheated on her when she didn’t fulfill all his needs.
“I don’t know where to start with that,” Jenny said.
“That’s why we’re here,” Alexa replied. “You’re already starting the process. At the end of the week, I can give you some recommendations so you can continue this important work of self-improvement for your husband and marriage.”
Ainsley glanced around, wondering if anyone else thought Alexa was way out of line with the advice she gave to Jenny. But all she saw was a circle of nodding heads, everyone apparently on board with this casual display of cruelty toward a new mother.
“Well, we seem to be out of time at the moment. We’ll take a break and pick things up again tomorrow. In the meantime, I want you all to reflect on the ways your behavior has contributed to the troubles in your marriage. Have you been emotionally and sexually unavailable, like Jenny? Or have you put your work above your partner?” She glanced around the room, smiling at everyone in turn. “Tomorrow, we’ll start digging deeper into these common mistakes and learn about ways to make amends.”
Ainsley grabbed her clutch and got to her feet, positioning herself so she was close to Jenny. As they filed out of the room, she gently touched the other woman’s elbow.
Jenny looked back, startled. Ainsley offered her a small smile. “Do you have a minute to chat?”
“Okay.” Jenny nodded, but she looked uncertain.
Ainsley led her into a small alcove off the hall, near a ficus tree standing in a nut-brown pot.
“I’m worried about you,” Ainsley said softly.
Jenny’s eyes widened. “Me? Why?”
Ainsley tilted her head to the side. “You’re taking care of a new baby, probably on your own, am I right?”
Jenny looked down. “My husband works hard at his job. He deserves a break when he gets home at the end of the day.”
Anger bubbled through Ainsley’s veins, making her feel hot. Those sounded like her husband’s words coming out of her mouth. “And what about you? Don’t you deserve a break?”
Jenny blinked, as though she hadn’t thought about it that way.
“You’re still healing from the birth,” Ainsley continued. “He should not be pressuring you for sex, especially when he knows it causes you pain.”
“I think I just need to relax,” Jenny started.
Ainsley held up a hand. “I’m not a doctor. But do you have one you can trust? Maybe something didn’t heal properly? It’s worth getting checked out, for your own sake.”
Jenny nodded, and Ainsley saw a light come into her eyes. “I think you’re right.” She studied Ainsley for a few seconds. “You seem to know a lot about this. Do you have kids?”
Ainsley shook her head, ignoring the prick of pain in her heart. “No.” She debated telling Jenny the truth—that she couldn’t have children, wasn’t even su
re if she wanted them, in fact—but decided against it.
