The fourth test was different. No public setting. No quick encounter. I told her to build a connection. Become his friend. See if emotional intimacy led somewhere physical.
I gave her access to his schedule, his interests, his favorite spots. She "accidentally" ran into him at his coffee shop. Then his bookstore. Then his running trail.
They became friends.
I watched the reports come in. Coffee dates. Long conversations. Inside jokes. He told her about his job, his dreams, his marriage.
"He loves you," Alexis wrote. "He talks about you constantly. Says you're the best thing that ever happened to him."
I read that message and cried. Not from relief. From guilt.
What was I doing?
I told Alexis to end it. No more tests. I'd gotten my answer a hundred times over.