Aston sat nervously at the family dinner table, his hands fidgeting with the silverware. The aroma of his mother's famous roast filled the air, mingling with the tension that hung palpably between him and his wife, Carole, who was conspicuously absent.
As his parents chatted cheerfully about mundane topics, Aston struggled to find the right words to break the news. How could he tell them that he and Carole had decided to go their separate ways, that the woman they had welcomed into their family with open arms was no longer a part of his life?
Glancing at the empty chair beside him, Aston felt a pang of guilt and sadness. Carole's absence spoke volumes, but he couldn't bring himself to vocalize the truth. He didn't want to disappoint his parents, to shatter the image of a perfect family they had always envisioned.