When our new neighbor moved in, I didn’t think twice about it—until I saw who it was. To my surprise, it was David, an ex I dated years ago before meeting my husband. David and I had parted ways amicably, and I hadn’t given him much thought since. But my husband’s reaction to the news caught me completely off guard.

From the moment he found out, there was a shift in his demeanor. He started asking more questions than usual: “Did you know he was moving here?” “Did you talk to him about this?” I assured him that I hadn’t seen or spoken to David in years, but my husband couldn’t seem to shake his unease.

What started as mild curiosity quickly turned into jealousy. Anytime David was outside, my husband would make it a point to watch from the window or suddenly find a reason to be in the yard. He even started making sarcastic comments like, “Your buddy is mowing the lawn again.”

When I finally confronted him about it, he admitted that he felt threatened. He said it was hard not to feel insecure knowing my ex was just a few steps away, and he couldn’t help but wonder if I still had feelings for him.

It struck me as strange—my husband is usually confident and secure in our relationship. But I’ve come to realize that even the strongest people have their moments of vulnerability. Now, we’re working through this together, reminding each other that trust and communication are the foundation of what we’ve built.