In nine years together, Jack and I shared a love-filled, adventurous marriage. But three months ago, Jack started leaving me out of events with his friends, claiming, “It’s just the guys, Mandy.” This seemed reasonable until I met Kevin’s wife, Marcia, who revealed Jack told their friends we were trying for a baby through IVF. Shocked, I wondered why he lied.

Curious, I checked our joint calendar and saw an invite for a dinner including wives. I RSVP’d for us and removed it from the calendar. The night of the dinner, Jack was shocked to see his ex-girlfriend Sasha, now married to his friend Mark, among the guests. I couldn’t understand why Jack kept this from me.

On the drive home, Jack admitted Sasha had recently joined the group. He said she suggested keeping me away due to past conflicts. I confronted him about his IVF lie, and he confessed it was an offhand comment. Despite everything, Jack assured me there was no affair and we were still on the same page about children. As we moved forward, I pondered the future of our relationship and the lingering IVF lie.