"Bruce..." Adriana said. "We can't work through our problems if we're apart from each other."

"They don't seem to be improving by us being together in this way," Bruce said.

"Okay," Adriana said. "You're right...it is messing with our heads and our problems are big and..uncommon...but.."

"I don't to be apart from you," Bruce said. "But I also don't want you to feel pressured to act a certain way or to go along with something just because of me. I understand you're not ready to just...jump back in and be intimate with me but I also don't want to be a bother to you-"

"You're not a bother Bruce," Adriana said. "That's why we are here...we're here to talk about everything we didn't before-"

"If I may," Dr. Kapoor interrupted their conversation.

"Yes?" Adriana turned to him.

"Bruce," Dr. Kapoor said. "You brought up the idea of separation very quickly. Do you want to separate from your wife?"

"I..." Bruce said. "I absolutely do not. But I do feel...based on our interaction last night that at times Adriana perceives me as a nuisance-"

"No," Adriana interrupted him. "I don't...I was just angry-"

"Okay," Bruce said. "However...I need to be honest. You seem less bothered by me after I come home from work or after I am away for a while-"

"So...you want to separate so that I'll miss you?" she asked.

"That..." Bruce said. "You're making it sound manipulative."

"Well, it kind of is," Adriana said. "Because you know...I will miss you. I couldn't sleep at night without you. You know...I still have nightmares, I still need you there. I-"

Adriana felt like she was about to cry, but didn't want the session to go that way. She held it in.

"I...hadn't considered..." Bruce said. "I only was thinking that I don't want to be a source of annoyance for you."

"I'm more annoyed now," Adriana said. "I don't want you to leave."

"Then I will stay," Bruce said immediately.

"Are you even sure you want to?" Adriana asked. "I mean...like Dr. Kapoor said, you jumped to separation really quickly-"

"And I feel badly about that," Bruce said. "But you...saying you were thinking about that man while we were together...Quite frankly it made me feel as though you're disgusted with me-"

"No," Adriana said. "You're disgusted with him. That doesn't mean I was disgusted with you I just wasn't present, I wasn't feeling it-"

"I know," Bruce said. "This is-"

"And if we did separate, would you want to take Arsenio?" she asked.

"No!" Bruce said. "He would be with you and I would make sure he knew that nothing was different. I would never take him from you, Adriana. We aren't separating-"

"Fine," Adriana said.

"If I may..." Dr. Kapoor said again and they both looked at him.

"Yes?" Bruce said this time.

"When you contacted me last night, Bruce," Dr. Kapoor said. "I did warn you that by me as your therapist and knowing you both so well, that this session could be derailed by either of you jumping the gun. It seems you to are now having a conversation on your own. This is not going to effectively solve your problems."

"Dr. Kapoor," Bruce said. "What else can we do? We can't see another therapist. How would we explain everything? No one would understand why I got so upset about Adriana taking Arsenio to see...the man she got pregnant by. No one would understand that unless they knew who he was-"

"I'm sure you can both find a way to describe him in a discreet way," the doctor said. "I've done my best to be unbiased however it seems the two of you...have a bias that negates that. You are not acknowledging me as the therapist at this point. You see me as a close friend you can discuss your issues in front of. Perhaps...the barrier of someone unfamiliar will help this to go better?"

"We need something different," Adriana said. "I agree. This whole...discussion seems to be just making everything worse. I can't believe you want to leave-"

"I don't!" Bruce said, as though he had explained it a million times. "I just don't want to be the reason you feel like you have to think about him. Just to cope with me."

Adriana said nothing and looked at Dr. Kapoor.

"We'll see someone else," she said.

.

.

.

"His name is Dr. Andrew Foster," Bruce said to Adriana as they had lunch. "He can see us tomorrow...or we can wait until next week if you need a break from..."

"Therapy and honesty?" Adriana said while swirling a spoon in her tomato soup.

"Yes," Bruce said.

"We can go tomorrow," she said, still moving the spoon in small circles and looking down into the liquid.

"You have to know that," Bruce said. "The idea of us taking some time apart wasn't a way to manipulate you into missing me. I only thought perhaps it would help...speed up the amount of time you need to not be so irritated with me. And you need to know that I would never take Arsenio away from you-"

"Dr. Kapoor said we shouldn't discuss the things we talked about in therapy until we see another therapist," she said in response.

"Yes," Bruce said plainly in response.

The were quiet, neither of them eating or looking at each other.

"I..." Adriana said quietly, still holding her spoon. "I love you, Bruce."

"I love you too," he said.

Bruce reached for her free hand that was resting on the table.

"And I'm afraid," she said. "I'm afraid because...what else can we say that we didn't say today? I'm not sure anyone can help us.."

"I'm sure there's a lot we haven't said..." Bruce said.

"I don't see how that's possible," Adriana sighed. "And if there's more we need to deal with...it's going to be even harder with a stranger that doesn't know us and everything that we do and everything we've gone through."

"We can do this," Bruce said.

Adriana wasn't so sure, but she knew that she was going to try.

"I'm...glad that you don't want me to leave," Bruce said. "When I suggested separation, I hated the idea but I half expected you to be relieved to be relieved of me at least for a while."

"Dr. Kapoor said we shouldn't discuss," Adriana reminded him again. "We don't want to...sabotage whatever little progress we may have made."

Bruce nodded. "No more, I promise," he said.

Bruce then pulled out his phone with was vibrating.

"I have an idea," Bruce said and gave her a smile that made her curious.

"Oh?" she asked.

"There's something...moderately urgent in the city," he said. "We could go together."

"Together? But...I'm not supposed to for a few days," she said.

"You won't have to do anything but keep watch, make sure I'm hidden," Bruce said. "And..hey...when the police show up, maybe you could take credit for it all, after all you will be useful."

Adriana gave Bruce a brilliant smile and threw her arms around him.

"Ayyyy," she beamed before kissing him. "Mi amor.."

"Vamos," he said on her lips.