Ben should have said no; he should have shut down that train of thought and told her not to bring it up again. He should have, but his mouth felt like it was being physically blocked. As though the tension in the room had manifested into a mass of bile that just lingered in his mouth and prevented him from saying anything. The air was electric. The entire room seemed to crackle with the potential of this moment; it prickled his skin and made the tiny hairs on his arms stand on end.

He hesitated. He should say no.

It wasn't just his investment in this charade that he'd be throwing away if he agreed to a divorce. Aldous had made a significant financial investment in this marriage, by procuring them this house and paying several months of the lease — not to mention that he had put aside his misgivings and tried his best to be civil towards Melody on numerous occasions, as had November and Roman. Both of his brothers had dealt with at least snide remarks at work, if not more actively detrimental things. Ben's friends had made room for the pair of them — even Art, though he obviously disliked having to put up with Melody. They were too far in this to just throw it all away now, weren't they?

But that bile was lingering in his mouth, and he found himself unable to say that he didn't want out.

"I can't talk about this right now," he finally said, pushing his chair back from the table and moving to leave.