After being together for nearly 20 years it felt like you were more like "roommate" than husband and wife. Ok, so you both gained a little weight with the passage of time, but you still desired intimacy and you married Cassandra for "Better or Worse."
You would play out various scenarios in your head as to Why was she always tired? Why was she full of energy when her coworkers called and then the "off switch" came on the minute she got off the phone and saw you?
You thought about asking, but there was safety in silence and it allow you to pretend that everything was alright even though you knew it wasn't.
Maybe that's why you felt the need to turn to another female for answers, and that person happened to be Sidney, one of your coworkers.
Sidney felt at ease talking to you because unlike many of your coworkers, you weren't trying to "get in her pants," in spite of your issues at home and she respected you for that.
You appreciated that Sidney at least took the time to listen to you and offered solutions and suggested that maybe you needed to go to "Couples Counseling," or speak directly to Cassandra.
You had tried to speak to Cassandra in the past and the conversations always seemed to end in arguments.
Sidney must have felt sorry for you and felt that you needed a hug, but in doing so the scent of her perfume lingered a little to long in the air, but the innocence in her embrace didn't.
Maybe you'll regret that moment in time, but for now...