One day, I sent my husband a casual photo of me standing with our neighbor’s horse, Thunder, a large and gentle black horse I had grown fond of while helping at the stables. I thought nothing of it at the time, but everything changed when he saw the picture. He zoomed in, examined it closely, and then sent a shocking message: “I want a divorce.” Confused and thinking it was a joke, I was stunned when he called, his voice full of anger and accusation.

He demanded to know how long “this” had been going on, and I had no idea what he meant until he pointed out the shadow on my back. Thunder’s head and neck had cast a shadow that looked eerily like a man standing behind me with his hands on my waist. Despite my desperate attempts to explain the illusion, he refused to believe me. That single trick of light shattered his trust, and no reasoning could repair the damage. What started as an innocent moment with a horse became the end of our marriage.