Belle Burden and her family have watched an osprey nest near their home on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, since buying the property in 2005. Burden’s now ex-husband, James, was particularly taken by the birds. He even worked with osprey experts in the area to better understand and protect them.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Burden and her family returned to the house to find that the “nest was intact” but empty (4). Burden and James hoped that they’d soon see the ospreys return.

Burden and her family quarantined on Martha’s Vineyard. They normally lived full-time in Manhattan, with the island property as a vacation home, but the city had recently shut down. Burden felt safe on the island with James and their two daughters, Evie and Carrie. She was unconcerned about letting their eldest child, Finn, stay with friends on Long Island, convinced that the restrictions would only last a few weeks. The family spent cozy days together, which made the unprecedented situation more bearable.

One day, Burden received a call from an unknown number; a man left a message saying that James was having an affair with his wife. A shocked Burden confronted James, who admitted the affair but insisted that it meant nothing to him and had just started a few weeks ago.