The tablet held a formal complaint from another crew member, filed two weeks earlier. Jason had been involved with at least three women aboard, one of them a junior employee who reported to him, which violated company policy. The captain had already begun an investigation, and my call confirmed the last detail: Jason had listed me as his emergency contact and spoken of a pregnant wife while courting other women.

The woman beside him turned out to be one of those three, and she was furious. She told the captain Jason had sworn he was single and had shown her a ring-free hand. She hurried away, saying she would give a statement. Jason stammered that it was all a misunderstanding. The captain replied that nothing about the reports was unclear, and that Jason’s contract was terminated effective immediately, with no severance.

I did not raise my voice. I told Jason I had only come so his daughters could meet him, and now they would learn who he was by what he did. A security officer escorted him to collect his belongings, and I watched him go without crying. The girls slept peacefully against my chest. My sister arrived soon after, having flown in to meet us, and helped me carry the bags to a taxi.

I filed for divorce the next week, with the records from the cruise line supporting my claim for support. Jason moved in with his brother and found a warehouse job that paid far less than his ship. He sees the girls on supervised weekends, and he pays every cent. I returned to teaching, and my sister moved in nearby. The twins just turned four, and they laugh louder than he ever did.