But after Nelson came back, everything changed.
She started finding me lacking. My degree wasn't impressive enough. My way of thinking was too old-school.
Nelson could float any half-baked proposal and she'd call it cutting-edge, forward-thinking, globally minded.
Anything I suggested, she treated like I was just being contrary.
In my previous life, after I pointed out the flaws in his program, Nelson went running to her. Told her I'd embarrassed him in front of everyone. Said months of his hard work had been shot down in a single stroke.
Kate came home and tore into me. Said I didn't know how to respect people. Said I never should have called him out like that with the whole team watching.
I'd felt wronged. Told her I was only stating facts.
She told me I could have handled it differently, that my emotional intelligence was too low.
Looking back now, it wouldn't have mattered how I handled it.
The moment I opened my mouth to point out any flaw in Nelson's work, no matter how gently I phrased it, Kate would have taken it as a personal attack on him.
Because in her mind, the two of us had been ranked a long time ago.
Nelson would always come first.
Kate's voice was ice. "You're attending the program test tomorrow."
"And when you're there, keep your mouth shut. Let the test run its course."
I said nothing. Just nodded.
She glanced at me, seemingly caught off guard by my compliance.
But she didn't press it. She turned and walked into the bedroom.
"Since your stomach's bothering you, sleep in the guest room tonight."
I sat on the couch, listening to the door click shut behind her.
Three years of living together, and this was the first time we'd slept in separate rooms.
The streetlamp outside flickered on, casting a wash of amber light through the window, pooling in pale shapes across the floor.
I was thinking about my past life.
After Nelson died, Kate became a different person.
On the surface, she seemed fine. Went to work, sat through meetings, handled business as usual.
But there was something cold behind her eyes. Something that never thawed.
At the funeral, she even comforted me. Told me Nelson chose to drink that night, chose to get behind the wheel. Said the truck that hit him was just fate, and none of it was my fault.
Her voice was calm when she said it. She even patted the back of my hand.
I actually believed she'd made peace with it.