Ansel had not seen Esther since she ended their affair. He didn't know why she had chosen to do so; he had asked her for a reason, and the only one she gave was that she felt guilt over betraying her husband. But Ansel had known there was something more, something she wasn't telling him.

 It had been months since the last time he had seen her, and one day happened to be walking past the house he knew she and her family had inhabited. There was a man working outside, with two boys hanging near him. Ansel knew the man was Mikael, Esther's husband, and the two boys had to be their sons, Finn and Elijah.

 Ansel debated whether he should approach them. He didn't know if Esther had told Mikael of their affair. He assumed she hadn't, since the husband had never confronted him on the subject, and Mikael certainly seemed to be the kind of man who would immediately confront the man who had been sleeping with his wife.

 "Good morning," he called.

 Mikael looked up at him, and nodded. "Good morning."

 "Ah, I was wondering if you could tell me, is this the home of Esther? I have met her in the village before, and I believe this was her home."

 "Yes, it is," Mikael answered, eyeing him warily. "I am her husband."

 "Ah, yes, you are Mikael. I am Ansel. I do not believe we have met, but I have met your wife in the village and spoken with her before. I have not seen her in many months. I do hope she is well."

 "Yes, she is. She has just gone through another childbirth. Our third son, Niklaus, was born yesterday." 

 Ansel raised his eyebrows. "Just yesterday? Well, she never said she would be having another child. My congratulations to you both. A boy named Niklaus, you say?"

 "Yes, I did. Esther is resting now, and I do not believe she is ready for visitors."

 "Of course, yes. I hope to see both of you in town soon."

 Mikael nodded again, still eyeing him warily. "Perhaps so."

 Ansel turned and continued walking down the road. He was surprised at himself for being able to lie so easily. From Mikael's behavior, he really hadn't been able to tell whether or not he knew the truth.

 But Ansel had something else on his mind. Esther had given birth to a son some months after she had left him, and had refused to speak to him since then. Now he knew why.

 He had a son named Niklaus.