When Mathew came into the room I hugged him. “Careful,” I said. “I hear your ex-wife is around here.” We shared a small laugh, and it was the beginning of me coming to understand how to navigate being with Mathew. He was like a little fuck-up brother—you love him and can be happy to see him, but you can’t be around him all the time. As we talked that day, I saw Mathew had grown so much—a changed man after facing his demons.
