The once lively table fell quiet, like everyone was waiting on Julian to finally define exactly who Eleanor was to him.
After a beat, he answered, calm.
"Eleanor's not Tyler's girlfriend... she's..."
He paused, almost against his will.
"My soon-to-be ex-wife."
He delivered it like it was nothing, no hesitation, no discomfort.
Gregory and Diane both looked briefly embarrassed.
"Well let's eat, let's eat. Where were we?" Diane pivoted fast.
Her embarrassment was a performance, meant to convince Julian this was her first time hearing Eleanor's name.
In reality, Cassandra had told her all about it weeks ago that Julian was married, and his wife's name was Eleanor.
But in Cassandra's telling, Eleanor had always been painted as a hardworking, unremarkable housewife, someone who'd dropp
